Health Care Nation?
Theory: health care is going the way of the fast food industry. A bit counter-intuitive, I know, given the usual wars between those factions over nutrition facts, whole grains and "lighter" meal options. But I'm talking about the business model. More and more often, I've seen news of quickie clinics popping up to serve a patient's health care needs in a convenient one stop shop. Instead of advertising its sale on Revlon products, CVS may soon boast signs about its MinuteClinic that seem strangely reminiscent of McDonald's burger count: "More than 10 million health patients."
A recent article in USA Today even points to this trend, comparing what a doctor's hoping to deliver through express clinics to what "Papa John's did for pizza." That doctor, whose name is--ready for it?--Burger, is hoping to set up 3,000 Doctors Express centers across the country to make sure patients-much like a Taco Bell enthusiast with the munchies-can get what they need, when they need it. The centers will include X-rays, lab and pharmacy, with staff working around the clock. It's a way to ease overcrowded emergency rooms, and Dr. Burger hopes it becomes a model for efficiency, the article noted.
The food/health merge doesn't stop there. As much as I hate the ice cream truck and the tune it blasts around my neighborhood, I was delighted to hear about a new cupcake mobile launching in Philadelphia. (Now I only need a reason to order from the truck, and perhaps a locale further downtown to receive said cupcakes.) Well, that brings me to exhibit B, the mobile health care enterprise. As this week's Top Story shows, HIT vendors are taking products and know-how on the road to get patients and providers jazzed about health care's future. From EHRs to PHRs, it's quite a menu to choose from. Even big-wig Kaiser Permanente is in on it; a mobile health care unit will be cruising the Hawaiian coast, bringing health care services to both members and uninsured residents. Let's hope those patients hunt down the truck with the same fervor as kids chasing a Mr. Softee. For convenient access to preventive care, I just might.
And finally, exhibit C, home-based care. Physicians are abandoning the office setting and going straight to patients' bedsides, and some are finding it's a way to cut costs. In the food industry, we call this good old home cooking. When you're sick of the lines, poor service and piling costs of take out, there's nothing like the comfort of a familiar face and the cost savings of a meal made from scratch. Or, if you're one of the few who's thriving in the down economy, you can sign up for premium concierge care-the personal at-home chef of the health care field.