PwC examines shifts in primary care
Three new healthcare delivery models are emerging in today’s primary care market that really resonate with retail pharmacy, including models that emphasize convenient care, at-your-service care and digital health, PwC’s Health Research Institute noted in February in a webinar outlining the future of primary health care in the United States.
According to the webinar, new entrants in the primary care market are accelerating the pace of innovation in these models, and traditional players are noticing. As many as 69% of physicians surveyed by HRI believe that nontraditional care models have increased access to care. And in response, about one-fifth of traditional primary care physicians said they have started providing new services, such as virtual visits.
With the cost of health shifting to consumers, those consumers are selecting primary care that fits their lifestyles. HRI found that 82% of consumers would be open to nontraditional ways of getting medical care.
Retail clinics are driving convenience care
Visits to retail health clinics tripled from 2010 to 2014, HRI reported, especially as the six largest chains field more than 1,600 retail clinic storefronts, noted Vaughn Kauffman, principal and global new entrants leader at PwC Health Services Advisory. “One-in-three Americans have visited a retail clinic, and ... the level of satisfaction was quite high — 95% reported they were quite satisfied with the service.”
Concierge care
More than 3-in-4 consumers (76%) value high patient satisfaction when picking a health provider, and that’s giving rise to low-cost, accessible, highly personalized care. And practitioners are taking notice — 71% of physicians think concierge care models will grow.
HRI pointed to the Massachusetts-based startup Iora Health as a prime example of concierge health. Iora’s model is team-based; meaning that clinicians, including nutritionists and diabetes specialists, are as important as physicians when caring for patients. At the center is a health coach who is responsible for 80% of the patient interactions and ensures continuity of care.
The role of digital in health care
And HRI’s consumer poll found that 60% of U.S. patients are open to virtual visits, and half of all patients are looking for the kind of do-it-yourself diagnostic options that can guide their healthcare decisions.
“From an employer’s perspective, we see about half of employers looking at making telehealth a benefit option for their employees over the next year,” said Sarah Haflett, senior manager at PwC Health Research Institute. “So looking for more convenience, more value-driven options for their employees.”