He refers to the need to “Schumpeter”, or radically transform, medicine. He makes a compelling case for how existing and rapidly evolving technology, mobile integration, social networks, and vast amounts of consumer and patient data will force this transformation driven by consumers, not governments, institutions, and providers. The availability of large amounts of data and how they can be accessed in a way by the consumer is being defined and will only grow.
For those of us in the healthcare industry, do we wait to be “Schumpeted” by consumers or do we join them? That is what we briefly discussed in Advanced Strategic Marketing, but more fully explored in our course, eMarketing Essentials. The conclusion: We must change the status quo and become proactive to engage (and help our customers) not only with patients, but with consumers who may be at risk of diseases.
This means we also need to consider atypical collaborations. Not only do we need to partner with mobile (as in cell phone) diagnostics, but also with geneticists, experts in prevention and consumer health education, and even non-healthcare companies and industries who have an interest in the lives and health of their consumers. Why not partner with large employers, banks, insurers, food companies and health/beauty aids, airlines, and even “fast food”? Why not engage with Samsung, Google and others at the leading edge of connecting with the consumer to bring better health tools – even health prevention – to them?
At the very least, do you know how to be present and engage in social media? Do you know how big data will impact patients and organizations in your area of focus? Are you looking at ways to leverage big data for your marketing efforts? Ultimately, we need to ask ourselves and our companies if what we are doing today is taking advantage of the current changes as well as preparing for the changing future of healthcare.
I was stunned as were so many millions of others when at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) earlier this year, the data were presented on the long term impact on clinical outcomes of diabetes of the National Health Insurance Scheme of the UK. The results of decades and billions of pounds showed no impact at all, for those who were diagnosed and receiving medical care vs. those who were diagnosed but not receiving medical care. Same in the USA – we know obesity causes Type 2 diabetes, yet Americans continue to get fatter by the day. Blame it on big food portions, sedentary life styles, or lack of health insurance if you want. However, in both countries the real question is, “How are consumers taking responsibility for their own healthcare?” Clearly they are not, and we actually are enabling that by helping them to think a pill is all they need. What we are not doing, and must do, is communicate and motivate each consumer/patient. And the way to do that is through the media they value most – their mobile phones. Rather than say, “But Compliance [internal Regulatory Affairs, the medical profession and the government] won’t let us,” consider working collaboratively on a project that everyone can agree requires a radical new approach that has wins for all:
I challenge all of you to “Schumpeter” our industry’s traditional ways of marketing, by embracing The Coming Revolution.
