Why Healthcare Should Adopt Merchandising Practices
Healthcare has gone through several evolutions throughout the course of human history. Our first attempts at treating medical conditions were half-hearted at best and hampered by our ignorance of germ theory and human biology. The acceptance of germ theory paved the way for modern healthcare and allowed humanity to treat previously fatal injuries and conditions, extending our lifetimes and giving people much longer lifespans.
The medical field continued to develop in tandem with technology, adapting more and more complex technology into the field to enhance research and develop a wide variety of medications.
With the internet and e-commerce now entrenched in modern society, the healthcare sector is now going through another evolution.
Long gone are the days when you had to physically visit your local doctor or pharmacy to receive medical care or prescribed treatments. The internet has made it possible for patients to interact with healthcare specialists from the comfort of their homes and allowed clinicians to access medical information as soon as they need it.
Major e-commerce companies such as Amazon are now throwing their hats into the healthcare arena by making it possible for patients to easily purchase medications they need online. Although some experts have questioned the entry of such entities into healthcare, the sector itself could benefit from adopting the merchandising practices that made online commerce companies such as Amazon so successful.
They could do this by making healthcare access as simple and streamlined as online commerce.
Setting up a doctor appointment can be incredibly frustrating (80% of patients give up before booking an appointment), and it wastes a lot of time that could have been spent consulting with healthcare professionals and getting to the root of your medical issues. If the healthcare sector leverages the technology used in e-commerce, finding a suitable healthcare professional could be as simple as logging into your favorite e-commerce site, searching for the products you need, adding them to your cart and clicking “buy.”
Following the e-commerce system, patients would make a search on a specific website or a search engine that would direct them to the healthcare system’s booking system, which would filter results based on patient’s needs and intentions. The system would then show patients available options in real time while providing pertinent information such as the specialties, prices, locations, and availability of providers.
Such a system would save time for patients while allowing them to connect with the most suitable physicians with relatively little hassle.
The mushrooming of ecommerce platforms such as NextPlat Corp. (NASDAQ: NXPL) (NASDAQ: NXPLW) will undoubtedly help to push the envelope of what is possible for healthcare ecommerce and the adaption of merchandising principles within healthcare.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to NextPlat Corp. (NASDAQ: NXPL) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/NXPL
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the BioMedWire website applicable to all content provided by BMW, wherever published or re-published: http://BMW.fm/Disclaimer
Healthcare has gone through several evolutions throughout the course of human history. Our first attempts at treating medical conditions were half-hearted at best and hampered by our ignorance of germ theory and human biology. The acceptance of germ theory paved the way for modern healthcare and allowed humanity to treat previously fatal injuries and conditions, extending our lifetimes and giving people much longer lifespans.
The medical field continued to develop in tandem with technology, adapting more and more complex technology into the field to enhance research and develop a wide variety of medications.
With the internet and e-commerce now entrenched in modern society, the healthcare sector is now going through another evolution.
Long gone are the days when you had to physically visit your local doctor or pharmacy to receive medical care or prescribed treatments. The internet has made it possible for patients to interact with healthcare specialists from the comfort of their homes and allowed clinicians to access medical information as soon as they need it.
Major e-commerce companies such as Amazon are now throwing their hats into the healthcare arena by making it possible for patients to easily purchase medications they need online. Although some experts have questioned the entry of such entities into healthcare, the sector itself could benefit from adopting the merchandising practices that made online commerce companies such as Amazon so successful.
They could do this by making healthcare access as simple and streamlined as online commerce.
Setting up a doctor appointment can be incredibly frustrating (80% of patients give up before booking an appointment), and it wastes a lot of time that could have been spent consulting with healthcare professionals and getting to the root of your medical issues. If the healthcare sector leverages the technology used in e-commerce, finding a suitable healthcare professional could be as simple as logging into your favorite e-commerce site, searching for the products you need, adding them to your cart and clicking “buy.”
Following the e-commerce system, patients would make a search on a specific website or a search engine that would direct them to the healthcare system’s booking system, which would filter results based on patient’s needs and intentions. The system would then show patients available options in real time while providing pertinent information such as the specialties, prices, locations, and availability of providers.
Such a system would save time for patients while allowing them to connect with the most suitable physicians with relatively little hassle.
The mushrooming of ecommerce platforms such as NextPlat Corp. (NASDAQ: NXPL) (NASDAQ: NXPLW) will undoubtedly help to push the envelope of what is possible for healthcare ecommerce and the adaption of merchandising principles within healthcare.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to NextPlat Corp. (NASDAQ: NXPL) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/NXPL
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the BioMedWire website applicable to all content provided by BMW, wherever published or re-published: http://BMW.fm/Disclaimer
