Boston, MA — The first line of a new report from Bain & Company really says it all: “For those working on the front line of US healthcare, the pace of change must seem unrelenting.” The firm surveyed 632 physicians and 100 hospital procurement administrators in the US and uncovered a lot about just what “unrelenting” looks like.
A few of the highlights (lowlights?):
- 40% of surgeons report they no longer use a product simply because the centralized purchasing function at their hospital doesn’t make it available. (The percentage of surgeons reporting that their procurement department makes most of the purchasing decisions for tools and devices has doubled in the past three years.)
- Two-thirds of physicians say that formularies limit their decision making, and about half feel those formularies affect the quality of care they are able to provide to patients.
- More physicians are joining large practices for stability and feeling the impact on their decision making:
- Of physicians who switched their place of employment in the last five years, 72% report moving into larger organizations with more professional management in hopes of attaining more career sustainability—stable compensation, less risk and higher earning potential.
- Physicians in management-led organizations are less satisfied than those in physician-led organizations, giving an employee Net Promoter Score® of −13 vs. 19.
- New risk-based payment approaches – like bundled payments, shared savings and capitated payments — have increased to 69% in management-led organizations, but only to 55% in physician-led organizations.
Why it matters:
We’re living and working in an era of declining physician autonomy. That means less control over decision making and lower morale. Marketing to that kind of customer requires a new approach. One that engages their colleagues to turn roadblocks into stakeholders. One that understands their barriers and provides new approaches. One that bakes gratitude and inspiration into every interaction. Are you ready for that kind of marketing??
Download the full report from Bain: http://www.bain.com/publications/articles/front-line-of-healthcare-report-2015.aspx
