HCB News: You mentioned "consumer-centric" care before. Can you say more about that? Any specific examples?

DW: Yes, people want convenience. When a new pain or something frightens them, they want reassurance and, if necessary, a plan. The new online services like MDLive, Teladoc, or “talk to a pharmacist” are making that possible and accessible. Add to that the growth of retail medicine in stores like Walmart, Rite Aid, or CVS, where the advice and care is delivered where you are, when you’re available. With all these front-line resources, we have a far better triage capacity than ever before.


HCB News: How are some industries or even individual businesses adjusting their practices to compete in the health care field?

DW: Providers and facilities are reorienting themselves to the service, cost, and quality needs of the empowered consumer. They understand that as consumers increase their out-of-pocket spending they will exercise choices, and will likely opt for more virtual delivery.

Pharmacies and stores will realize that they have a real contribution to making health care accessible where people live their lives, and they will use the opportunity to engage people in dialogues around health and beauty, health and fitness, and health and travel.

As medicine itself both becomes more personalized and more data driven, it will require our caregivers to be trained in new ways. Those core skills that cannot be taught—I’m thinking of empathy, integrity, and patience—are critical to conducting person-centered interactions with the sickest patients.

HCB News: What are the key things businesses must keep in mind in order to thrive in the post-reform healthcare market?

DW: They can be summed up as follows: What is easy gets done. You cannot manage what you cannot measure. 50 percent of health costs are driven by behavioral choices.

Our lives are getting more complicated; we yearn for simplicity but are terrified of being taken advantage of. Healthcare businesses need to make us feel empowered with knowledge, explanation, and support.

Powerful health care will seek to understand humans as they cope with health and sickness, yearn for purpose, and look for happiness for themselves and those they love. If as a business you never forget that, you may find yourself well rewarded; lose sight of that and you may have success but it will be short-lived.

About the author: David Whitehouse, MD, MBA, is the Chief Medical Officer at UST Global, where he uses his clinical and health systems experience and insights to help UST clients understand the significance, influence, and possibilities of technology advances. His past positions include Executive Medical Officer for Catamaran; CMO for Catalyst; and CMO for Strategy and Innovation at United Health Group. He has served on the clinical faculty at Dartmouth, Harvard, and Yale. He holds an MD degree from Dartmouth, an MBA from the University of Connecticut, a Doctorate and Masters in Theology from Harvard University, and a MA and BA from Cambridge University in England.

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