5 Predictions for Healthcare in 2015
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The following five changes are important features for healthcare in 2015:
- Walmart launched a healthcare insurance exchange online. Ideally, primary care through retail clinics and inexpensive generic drugs at the pharmacy will increase traffic in their stores. Specialty care will be based off of their Centers of Excellence Program, in which consumers pay minimal out-of-pocket.
- Despite an increase in investments, digital health companies are not profitable, and their CEOs should concentrate on pharmaceuticals as its customer. Many physicians’ offices refuse to see pharmaceutical sales reps in their offices. Consequently, pharmaceuticals are hiring tech startups to help them access and sell to physicians.
- Amazon is expanding its delivery of consumer goods to physician practices. Initially, Amazon will target small practices as it customers and ship gowns, gloves and more.
- Consumers and employers are purchasing insurance plans with high deductibles. Consequently, with an average income of $55,000, people cannot afford to pay their medical bills. This hurts providers financially because accounts receivables on balance sheets turn into bad debt. Peer-to-peer lending companies have become increasingly popular, as they have paved the way for unsecured structure notes, where others can finance an individual’s loan.
- Latinos make up 17% of the U.S. population, yet fewer then 4% of healthcare providers can speak Spanish. 1 out of every 5 uninsured individuals in the US is Latino, and hospitals are beginning to concentrate on this sector. Hospitals are offering Latino-branded services with evening and weekend hours for dual-income families.
Summary by MedicalGroups.com
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