How to stay at the forefront of healthcare innovation
Healthcare is an industry whose goal is to provide essential services and care to patients to improve their health and well-being. Across generations, the expertise of healthcare professionals has enabled the industry to continually innovate and meet the ever-changing demands and needs of patients – from mental health spikes to safety concerns about in-person doctor visits during a global pandemic . Most recently, the Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated the healthcare industry’s agility to innovate, as we’ve witnessed a surge of medical startups emerging to fill new needs and gaps in the industry with digital innovation. There are a number of digital-first methods that improve patient healthcare experiences, from remote patient monitoring to technology-enhanced patient care, virtual reality in the operating room, and more.
As digital healthcare companies solidify their services and technologies as a preference for many and continue to innovate, understanding the needs of patients and physicians is crucial for healthcare startups. Companies can hear these important perspectives during the innovation development for a successful product or treatment that will ultimately propel the healthcare industry forward.
Improving research and development with the voice of patients and physicians
Many new medical tools and technologies that are developed eventually end up in a doctor’s office, resulting in startups having to work with doctors during the research and development phase. By engaging physicians at this critical stage, startups can ensure physicians feel confident in embracing and implementing the new innovations in their own practice.
Beyond verifying medical accuracy, physicians can provide exclusive insights to help address a variety of strategic healthcare issues or challenges that may not be apparent to a startup, as well as inform gaps in a new tool or technology – e.g. on recommendation – based on what you see on site.
In addition to their medical expertise, physicians also act as the patient’s voice; With a growing emphasis on tools and technology specifically designed for patient use and improved health outcomes, physicians are a valuable asset for informing startups with unique patient perspectives during the R&D phase. Physicians are in constant communication with patients, giving them a front-row seat to their evolving healthcare needs and desires, as well as providing feedback or concerns about industry-wide innovation. With insight into patient needs and the ability to identify consistent trends across patient populations, physicians can provide invaluable insights to startups that reflect today’s patient and help optimize new tools or technologies.
Maximizing go-to-market strategies
While the healthcare landscape is known for constant change, these changes have created a new type of patient. Increasingly, patients are far wiser and more engaged in their personal health journeys; and they invest the time to learn more about health products, tools, or treatments. Therefore, startups should approach their innovation and go-to-market strategy with the understanding that patients do their own research and read the fine print before committing to any new product or technology.
While physicians can ensure medical accuracy during the R&D phase, later these experts can help maximize startups’ go-to-market strategy. In healthcare in particular, it can be difficult to simplify a new product or technology in layman’s terms without removing important medical information for use. Physicians can help startups identify key messages to include in communication and product materials, as well as include common questions or concerns patients may have in an FAQ. The goal of a doctor – and a startup – is to help patients, and by enlisting the support of medical expertise, startups can ensure easy-to-understand, transparent, and factual language within their go-to-market strategy to best reach patients.
Fuel startups with leading experts
Companies often face the challenge of finding the right know-how for a new project. And as the market for digital healthcare innovation continues to grow rapidly, time is of the essence – but startups can’t compromise the real science. Fortunately, there is a national network of medical specialists in one place.
By applying a gig economy model to healthcare innovation, GoodRx’s flipMD lowers the barrier for physicians and businesses to connect and collaborate through an easy-to-use online platform. Whether the latest innovation is in the research and development phase or ready for market, the on-demand marketplace for physicians enables start-ups to stay at the forefront of medicine and save their time in identifying the right expertise save by posting a job with unique parameters to recruit experts from a wide range of specialties.
In today’s evolving healthcare industry and with increasing consumer demand, it’s important for startups to partner with physicians to successfully innovate while staying on track. Discover how you can boost the momentum of your startups by collaborating with experienced doctors.