Download the MedCity Startup Index for July 2014
Recently we published news about a study that tested how well text messages worked as an engagement tool with people on Medicaid. The conclusions were: “Wow, it worked!” and “It was cheap too!”
Although I like the company that provided the messaging – HealthCrowd has a sense of humor and a very human tone to its messages – the study was one of those “duh!” moments. It also struck me as condescending, as if people who needed Medicaid wouldn’t have cell phones or know how to text or be interested in taking better care of themselves. And, it’s possible that HealthCrowd knew this already but was simply justifying its existence to win over skeptics and get more clients signed up.
This is a version of the “[fill in the demographic] doesn’t use technology” stereotype. I’ve heard people say that doctors won’t use new technology, that people over 60 won’t use technology, or that patients in general won’t use technology. Often this “fact” is used to shut down a discussion of a new way of doing things.
This argument makes me mad for two reasons. The first is that it confuses willingness to learn with financial resources to buy certain tools. Not everyone can afford to buy the latest iPad or Surface, but cell phone companies are giving away iPhones. And the fewer resources a person has, the more likely she is to maximize the ones she has. Getting access to a doctor or physical therapy or vaccinations — that is a big motivator.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
The second reason is that we have to stop building every service to fit the lowest common denominator, in terms of willingness to learn. Just because a text messaging service or an app or a price calculator will not be used by 50 percent of a patient population doesn’t mean the effort is not worthwhile. We have to rely on the early adopters and the super-engaged patients at this point in the healthcare revolution. They will download your app and tell you what’s wrong with it and help you test version 2.0. They also will show your app to their techno-phobic friends and their skeptical relations. They will become ambassadors, something the tech world has relied on for decades to win over new users.
So if you are skeptical about the viability of free EHRs or the potential of 3D printing or the feasibility of desk-based fitness, download our monthly report. Open your mind and consider the possibility that some of these ideas could actually work.
So next time you find yourself saying, “But senior citizens won’t use iPads,” or dismissing a new tech project with a “That will never work!” wave of your hand, pause in your criticism. Think about the slice of your patient population that might use it and build with those people in mind.
Download our monthly report and see what is possible.
Download the MedCity Startup Index for July 2014
[Image from flickr user Doran]
