The Consumer Mindset Healthcare Needs Right Now

"The Point" Episode 1: The Patient Is a Consumer

GINA CUNIERE, VP Brand Partnerships: Welcome to The Point, where we believe understanding creates better experiences.

CHRIS LEDFORD, Operating Partner and VP Strategy: And better experiences create better business.

GINA: I'm your host, Gina Cuniere, and today we are here to talk about the patient as a consumer—what health systems can learn from the consumer brand experience.

So Chris, you've been doing this for quite some time.

CHRIS: Yes, I have.

GINA: You were in consumer products.

CHRIS: I was. Before I started working in pharmaceuticals and healthcare, I worked retail, real estate. It was always really, really important that we understood our audiences first—because you have one chance to make an impact. Since I've been working in healthcare, I've felt that this was sidestepped a lot. And it's frustrating me more and more, because what we're doing in healthcare feels more and more critical.

GINA: What do you think the healthcare brand can learn from a consumer experience?

CHRIS: Get in there. Become consumer focused. Become consumer obsessed. In your case, patient obsessed. Healthcare brands get caught up in operations, compliance, regulation—and lose sight of how it affects the experience their patients are getting at the end of the day. If they start there, I think it would make a world of difference.

GINA: Consumer brands are very caught up in the first impression, the right channel, the right marketing mix. It really is an obsession to get it right.

CHRIS: It has to be. Understand the consumer. You cannot deliver something meaningful unless you understand what somebody truly needs. And that gets bypassed far, far too often. Why are consumer brands constantly in focus groups, constantly doing surveys? Because they need to make their impact immediately. And if they're not getting results, they pivot. Quickly. They know X number of people saw their ad and they didn't see a lift in sales. They change their messaging, they change their approach. And the consumer is driving those decisions.

GINA: There's no shortage of consumer products out there—we are not at a loss for laundry detergent or shampoo. How a consumer brand gains market share is a very calculated task. Patients have choices too, more than ever. Can you talk about the patient as a consumer?

CHRIS: The key element is the level of empowerment patients have today. What's the first thing you do when you don't feel well?

GINA: I'm looking it up.

CHRIS: Exactly. Patients have a whole array of places to get information. Doctor's orders are not doctor's orders anymore. People come in empowered and knowledgeable. The script has flipped. And in combination with all the choices—how many hospital systems are there within your general area?

GINA: Easily three to five hospitals.

CHRIS: And then countless doctors' offices and practices of all sorts. You get to choose. Insurance aside, you have choice, and you're empowered. That means health care systems are now in a competitive situation, just like any consumer good. And when you fall back on regulation and compliance as a reason not to innovate—I'm going to call you out. That's an excuse for not really digging in with your patient base and figuring out what they truly need from you.

GINA: It's not just the patient—it's the caregiver as well. The people in a patient's sphere of influence have a rather large effect.

CHRIS: They really do. We talk a lot about better patient outcomes. Who is the key player in that? We've found that when caregivers are involved, empowered, and feel supported, patient outcomes are better. They supply the emotional support the patient needs. And it's something we're seeing emerge with all of our partners—a focus on how to also support the caregiver. That for me is a tremendous breakthrough, because it's really getting to the heart of what matters for that patient and giving them a stronger support network every day.

GINA: Say we have a new health system we're looking to support. What's the first thing you would do in your diagnostic?

CHRIS: 100% dig into the patient base. Are they rural? Are they urban? Really understand who we're trying to talk to, whose lives we're trying to affect. And what's their mission?

GINA: What is their true North Star?

CHRIS: It should be, without a doubt, patient care and the well-being of their community. And it's not just the clinical side—what was the feeling? What was the experience? What did you leave with? What did you need from me?

GINA: As a consumer myself, there are certain brands, certain shops I go to because of the way they make me feel.

CHRIS: You said the key thing: how do I feel about this? Certainly I want to feel better physically—but what sort of emotional experience did I have? That's going to make all the difference between continuing with one system or going to another.

GINA: Last question: a CMO or VP of marketing is watching this and saying, yeah, I've been thinking the same thing. What barriers do you think they're coming up against?

CHRIS: A lot. The CMO or VP of marketing is sitting in a boardroom with people who are operationally focused. They want efficiency, compliance, operations. And this is where experience gets lost in that sauce. The CMO is going to have to battle against process and operations—heads and beds, how much money is the system making. And let's be honest, it is a business and it's important. But CMOs and VPs of marketing are going to have to come armed with the business case for providing exceptional experience. What are all the benefits that creating an exceptional patient experience has on the bottom line? It's not just fluff. It's going to be the first thing that affects your bottom line.

GINA: All right. I think that's all the time we have. Thank you for your perspective.

CHRIS: Thank you.

GINA: Hope you tune in next time on The Point, where we really do believe that understanding can create a better experience.