Consumerism in healthcare is still a largely untapped opportunity.
This is clearly changing though, as market forces are working steadily toward shifting the balance of power from the supply side to the demand side.
It will take some time, but the unfolding realities of health reform, with all of its intended and unintended consequences will lead to significant change.
It will also provide a path for the swifter expansion of Healthcare Consumerism, which has slowly emerged over the past decade.
We're seeing many smart developments including better price transparency, comparative quality ratings, wellness-related tiered premiums, and more innovative uses of technology.
But these resources are only beneficial if they are used properly and broadly. The dormant power of consumer influence is ready to be awakened, and this is where engagement comes into play.
Healthcare Consumerism will flourish once the market sectors embrace the strategic importance of consumer engagement and integrate it into their business planning and methods.
This is why we advocate the designation of the Chief Engagement Officer - a role with implications across all of healthcare.
Engagement is not well understood or supported. Yet it holds the promise of truly connecting consumers to realistic health and well-being improvement.
We believe the engagement area deserves C-level status. It has extraordinary potential to help change healthcare. And after all, Patient Engagement has been dubbed "the blockbuster drug of the century."
The discipline of engagement is still in its formative phase. As an example, when I published Why Healthcare Matters in 2008, as an Employer's Guide to Healthcare Consumerism, the word engagement was referenced just twice in the entire book.
We see that Providers have a long way to go to really capture the essence of Patient Engagement, and begin to shift their business practices to address it; Health Plans are moving in a good direction to be more consumer-centric, but it's like turning an aircraft carrier in choppy seas; while Employers are still searching for the right strategic combination of program design and participant incentives to active the workforce.
This is why specialized expertise and a dedicated budget and role are needed. Consumer insight around health behavior is missing in many organizations. Sure, there are teams of people that uncover interesting angles and perspectives, but it is rarely applied to its full value.
The overall aim of engagement is to drive health behavior change. This is different from marketing, which is generally intended to sway individuals toward a single purchase decision or action, or perhaps promote loyalty.
Engagement is geared to moving people through their individual decision pathways. It needs to address rational and emotional barriers to change, and articulate the consumer value proposition that will result from shifts in attitudes and behavior. It has to embrace the process of behavior change, disrupt bad habits and reinforce positive actions.
