Healthcare is an industry designed to provide essential services and care for patients to improve their health and well-being. Over generations, the expertise of medical professionals has allowed the industry to continuously innovate and meet the ever-changing demands and needs of patients — ranging from spikes in mental health to safety concerns regarding an in-person doctor’s visit during a global pandemic. Most recently, the Covid-19 pandemic has shown the agility of the healthcare industry to innovate, as we have experienced a surge of medical startups emerging to accommodate new demands and gaps in the industry with digital innovations. There are a number of digital-first methods that improve the healthcare experience for patients, from remote patient monitoring to tech-enabled patient care, virtual reality in the operating room, and more.
As digital health companies solidify their services and technologies as a preference for many, and innovations continue to be developed, it’s critical for healthcare startups to understand the needs of patients and physicians. Companies can hear those important perspectives during innovation development for a successful product or treatment that ultimately propels the healthcare industry.
Improving R&D with the voice of patients and physicians
Many new medical tools and technologies being developed ultimately end up in a doctor’s office, prompting the need for startups to collaborate with physicians during the research and development phase. By engaging physicians in this critical stage, startups can ensure physicians feel confident in adopting and implementing the new innovations within their own practice.
Beyond verifying medical accuracy, physicians can provide exclusive insights to help navigate any number of strategic issues or healthcare challenges that may be unseen to a startup, as well as inform any gaps in a new tool or technology — such as a potential feature or add-on recommendation — based on what they are seeing in the field.
Complementing their medical expertise, physicians also serve as the voice of the patient; with a growing emphasis on tools and technologies being developed specifically for patient use and improved health outcomes, physicians are a valuable asset in informing startups with unique patient perspectives during the R&D phase. Physicians are in constant communication with patients, which provides them with a front row seat to their evolving healthcare needs and desires, as well as feedback or concerns regarding industry innovations at large. With an inside look into what patients need, and the ability to identify consistent trends among patient groups, physicians can share 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 transformations have created a new type of patient. Increasingly, patients are much savvier and more engaged with their personal healthcare journeys; and they are investing the time to become better informed about any health product, tool or treatment. As such, startups should approach their innovations and market strategy with the understanding that patients will do their own research and read the fine print before buying into a new product or technology.
While physicians can ensure medical accuracy during the R&D phase, moving forward these experts can help maximize startups’ go-to-market strategy. Particularly in healthcare, it can be challenging to simplify a new product or technology into layman’s terms without removing any critical medical information pertaining to use. Physicians can help startups identify key messages to include in communication and product materials, as well as common questions or concerns that may arise from patients to include in an FAQ. A physician’s — and startup’s — goal is to help patients, and by enlisting the support of physician 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
Often, companies are challenged in sourcing the right expertise for a new project. And as the healthcare digital innovation market continues to grow at a rapid pace, time is of essence — however, startups cannot compromise real science. Thankfully, a national network of expert physicians can be found in one location.
By applying a gig economy model to healthcare innovation, flipMD from GoodRx is lowering 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 to go to market, the on-demand marketplace for physicians allows startups to remain at the forefront of medicine and conserve their time in identifying the right expertise by posting a job with unique parameters to recruit experts from a broad range of specialties.
In today’s evolving healthcare industry and amid rising consumer demand, it’s important for startups to collaborate with physicians to successfully innovate while staying on track. Discover how to fuel your startups’ momentum by collaborating with expert physicians.
