MedCity Influencers

The hospitality industry as a model for healthcare often doesn’t ring true

The oft-repeated observation that healthcare should be more like the hospitality industry doesn't always ring true. Here;'s why.

Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, Priceline. It’s hard to find anyone nowadays who hasn’t booked at least one trip through one of these online travel booking websites. With enticing deals, easy booking, and an abundance of reviews from fellow travelers, it’s no surprise that they’re widely popular — so much so that many have volunteered a similar “shopping” experience as the model for other types of services, including healthcare. The simplicity of searching for healthcare providers on websites that display all providers in a given geographic area is understandably appealing, especially when that’s coupled with the convenience of requesting appointments online. But is it that simple?

As patients take a more active role in their healthcare, the need to empower them with online healthcare resources and experiences is not a point for debate. Demand for online healthcare information is high, with Deloitte research showing that 60 percent to 70 percent of people with a health issue look for information online. What is up for debate, however, is how to best help patients navigate their way to the right appointment for their condition. Patients don’t always come to healthcare knowing they want the cheapest seat from Boston to Chicago, they often just know they want to book a trip somewhere warm for spring break. In other words, they might sometimes know their symptoms (like feeling like their heartbeat “skips”), but require help getting triaged to a primary care provider for a basic work-up versus an electrophysiologist who specializes in the treatment of abnormal heart rhythms.

Guiding a patient to the right “trip” for them requires a deep understanding of a provider’s scope of practice as well as the resources available at the health system. Historically, consumer-facing sites have delivered convenience, but lacked the clinical precision and workflows to ensure appropriate matching of a patient’s condition to the right provider. As such, dis-intermediating patients from their providers (the way a Travelocity abstracts away from individual airlines) may actually be impairing the ability to guide people to the correct care.

Finding the right match online starts with having access to accurate and detailed information about a provider’s clinical areas of focus. Unfortunately, third parties are often not equipped with the right level of detail — or up-to-date information — about each provider’s clinical expertise. As the source of such data, health systems are far better positioned to offer this level of detail through their websites and/or call centers. If a third-party website only accommodates search by specialty, a diabetic patient may end up scheduling with an endocrinologist who specializes in thyroid conditions instead of diabetes. Such a patient-provider mismatch can result in delays in the patients’ access to appropriate care and unnecessary co-pays — not to mention wasted time for both the patient and provider. Similarly, inaccurate insurance coverage information can trigger stiff (avoidable) financial obligations on the part of the patient. Nobody looks good if the patient gets to the wrong provider and is left with an unanticipated bill.

An additional concern with “shopping” for healthcare like we do for travel is the extent to which it limits care coordination. Unlike taking a flight or staying at a hotel, healthcare is not a “one and done” experience. With the exception of forsaking loyalty points, consumers face few serious impacts from choosing Hilton on one trip and Marriott on another. It’s a different matter altogether with healthcare, where there is a great need not only for care continuity over time, but also for effective coordination between multiple providers – particularly for patients with chronic diseases. Health systems have invested — and continue to invest — substantial time and resources in improving care transitions and coordination for patients within their networks, enhancing everything from how providers learn about each other’s expertise to how they communicate information about shared patients. When patients turn to third parties to find various providers, they can unknowingly disrupt the team approach to care that we are striving to achieve.      

Healthcare is deeply personal and patients seek to find the right providers who will get to know them and care for them over time. Third-party websites have made it easy to jump from provider to provider based on availability and other factors it’s easier than ever to switch providers. But, for patients who find a good match, the value of staying with someone who knows their history and can put changes in their health condition into context cannot be understated. Health systems can and should be building a historical view of the patient and delivering a more personalized experience over time. This gives patients the feeling that an organization knows them and their needs something they won’t find on a transactional third-party website.

It’s completely understandable that consumers are looking to the web for convenience in coordinating their care. Third-party websites have recognized this and, in many cases, are a step ahead of health systems with regards to features like online reviews. In fact, many health system websites still lack robust provider search capabilities, engaging content, and appointment scheduling capabilities. This has to change. While Accenture reported in 2014 that only 40% of top health systems offered digital self-scheduling, they predict that 100% of top health systems and 55% of other health systems will enable it for at least some appointments by 2019. Finding the right doctor is not as simple as finding plane seat, but health systems must recognize that their patients will seek out the kinds of experiences they are used to with travel. Fortunately, health systems are well positioned to help organize and then deliver the kind of information and processes required to help patients navigate to the right provider in their network. When “spring break” is over, it’s these types of innovations that will keep patients coming back for their future care needs.

Photo: Spooh, Getty Images


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Graham Gardner, MD

Graham is the Co-Founder and CEO of Kyruus where he has led the development and commercialization of the company’s market-leading patient access platform that now serves over 250,000 providers and 600 hospitals. Prior to Kyruus, Graham was a Venture Executive at Highland Capital Partners where he co-founded Generation Health, a genetic benefit management company that facilitates optimal utilization of genetic testing, and served as the company’s Chief Medical Officer through its acquisition by CVS Caremark. Graham completed his clinical training in internal medicine and cardiology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, where he also served as Chief Medical Resident. Graham completed his BA and MD degrees at Brown University and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. He serves as an advisor to Sigma Surgical, Sensory Cloud, and the Innovation & Digital Health Accelerator at Boston Children’s Hospital.

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