People hate waiting. That’s true whether they are in line for a ride at amusement park or sitting in a room waiting to see their doctor. In a study by Yosi Health, 46% of the 1,098 patients surveyed said the worst thing about going to the doctor prior to the pandemic was sitting in the waiting room for long amounts of time. But since the pandemic, 26% of patients said their doctor’s office made some much-needed changes and another 24% said things have certainly gotten better, but that their doctor’s office could do even more. According to those patients, the two best changes that made were: 1) offering telehealth services so they could see their doctor without leaving their house (36%); and 2) better appointment scheduling so there are no waiting room holdups (30%).
While that is certainly good news for patients, it does mean point-of-care marketers will need to adjust their strategies. To help you develop newer and better ways to succeed in this revamped point of care environment, we present our first-ever Forum on Point of Care and Telehealth. Throughout this issue, we feature expert insights that touch on every aspect of the point of care that you care to know about.
For many of you, that starts at the doctor’s office. Linda Ruschau of PatientPoint breaks down the new opportunities for marketers in the waiting room, exam room, and more. But one important takeaway: patients still wait an average of 12 minutes. Yes, that is down from previous years, but it still gives you ample time to get your message to patients—if you are doing it right.
But the point of care is about much more than just the doctor’s office. We also explore how the pharmacy is expanding its offerings beyond brick-and-mortar stores; how marketers can engage with patients and providers within telehealth platforms as well as the EMR/EHR; and readers also sent us their best pitches for how the life sciences industry can help to improve the doctor-patient visit.
No matter the changes happening within the point of care space, one thing remains true—it is the one place marketers can have an impact at the very moment treatment decisions are made. So, embrace the change and learn what the industry can do to best serve patients and physicians during that crucial moment.
