Connecting The Dots of Healthcare

When first entering the non-clinical “business of medicine” with my physician documentation education business, I had a conversation with David Berman, MD who was working with our hospital back in the 1990’s with his DRG consulting business. We discussed who the REAL healthcare consumer was. Today, it’s interesting to note the rise of “consumerism” in healthcare with references to “consumer driven healthcare.” Most of these references are in regard to “patient driven healthcare.” But the fact remains that physicians, not patients, are the consumers of healthcare.

While a patient may be the end-user of healthcare, the economic buyer, therefore the real “consumer,” has been and will remain the physician.

Without a physician signature, a prescription can’t be filled. Without a physician signature, a patient can’t be admitted to a hospital or homecare for services. Without a physician signature, attesting to documented diagnoses, hospitals can’t get DRG payment. Without a physician signature, any physician directed “business of healthcare” simply won’t occur. Physicians are the consumers of healthcare.

While healthcare has become more patient centric, physicians still make the buying decision for most patients. Although the patient targeted pharma TV ads talk to the target market of end users, the decision to actually prescribe remains secured with physicians. An earlier article on this blog spoke to big healthcare business “bribing doctors.” It’s interesting to note as pharmaceutical companies are progressively restricted on how much money they can spend marketing to doctors the budget to influence patients to “talk to their doctors” about a multitude of prescription drugs has reciprocally grown.

The influence of “patient choice” and direct-to-”consumer”- advertising, (DTCA), has been substituted for direct to physician marketing because the pharma industry clearly understands who is the real consumer of healthcare.

Because of physician driven consumerism, building solid business and clinical relationships with physicians remain central to any business of healthcare. Healthcare businesses that understand the real “power of the pen” in the hand of the physician as the true consumer already understand this.