Opportunity Amid Uncertainty: A Vision for Tomorrow

// By Paul Szablowski //

Predictions for 2021 are still anyone’s guess. The coronavirus continues to rage, and many economists are forecasting slow economic growth. Bloomberg reported in mid-November that the increase in COVID-19 cases and resulting new restrictions “threaten to temper momentum for the economic recovery even amid positive news about a vaccine.”

Amid the uncertainty, there is opportunity. Healthcare and digital health are being pushed toward rapid innovation to meet the needs of patients for care, and safety while receiving care. Although trust has taken a significant hit with consumers and how they feel about business and government, healthcare providers remain a trusted source of information.

But pre-pandemic forms of engagement may no longer be adequate to meet the needs of empowered consumers, and even the language of that engagement may be changing. A July research study conducted by Experian revealed that “since the beginning of the pandemic, 60 percent of customers say they have higher expectations for online experiences.”

How can healthcare meet these raised expectations? Perhaps instead of talking about getting “back to normal” or the imagining a “new normal,” we need to seize the opportunity to shape an entirely different view of care delivery, one in which digital health becomes the link connecting consumers with the delivery system in dramatically different ways.

This is an unprecedented time for all of us, but it is also a unique opportunity for marketers to lead digital transformation by helping to forge stronger connections between consumers and healthcare providers.

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