Earlier this year, the World Economic Forum shared about the future of business, with one of the conclusions being that businesses need to undergo digital and sustainable transformations in parallel. It’s because of all of the advancements in data and technology, that the way that consumers are operating, acting and making purchase decisions (or decisions to uptake services) has changed – and businesses need to get on board if they’re going to thrive in the new and developing digital climate.

While healthcare still very much remains a necessity, health consumers are far from immune to the changes in technology – and with health information “at their fingertips” 24/7, they too are changing the way they act and how they access and select these services, also responding to a competitive health market in many regards.

Businesses Need To Do More And Better, With Less

One of the key points shared by the forum was the importance of developing and implementing operations and services that are “more intelligent, more efficient, more sustainable, and more resilient… by embedding digital and sustainability into everything they do”. In the case of healthcare, sustainability means not only looking at products and materials of consumables, but it reflects a much wider picture: sustainable healthcare that is proactive, not reactive, as well as accessible and affordable. This is even more important in the 2023 financial climate where the cost of living, inflation and mortgage rates have so far only continued to increase – and we’re only halfway through the calendar year.

In the medical and health industry, this means taking the time to learn about, research and then leverage available technologies that match the goals of your medical practice while optimising and enabling better patient outcomes for the long term. The good news is that with sustainability and people now coming more into focus as the ‘heart’ and centre of new businesses, there are now plenty of genuine companies, services and apps to help support both your clinic – and the greater goal.

Preparing For The Future

During the COVID pandemic, there was a very clear divide when it came to business. Those that had existing digital tools available – or were quick to adapt to digital tools that enabled them to continue with business and optimise their processes in the context of difficult and limiting circumstances, were the businesses that thrived during this time. As such, the adaptation of digital technology should also be regarded as a smart investment into future-proofing clinics against further unexpected circumstances that will otherwise impact their ability to operate, their bottom line, their ability to stay in business – and importantly, the health and wellbeing of their patients.

The Digital Mindset Shift

Any new product or service that health professionals take the time to learn about comes with a time cost, reading the systematic reviews and randomised controlled trials, seeing further social proof of its efficacy, satisfaction and return. There’s also a notable financial investment – so it makes sense that many proceed with caution, not wanting to jeopardise their business. In the same way, many health professionals also maintain the same cautious approach to adapting new digital technologies in their clinic – but another business aspect that has been repeatedly highlighted is the need for a mindset shift to recognise the true value that digital technologies can have – viewing them as profitable and essential additions to businesses, and not a risky expense.

Example: HealthNow For Clinics & Businesses

The HealthNow app with its suite of services is a fantastic example of a business asset dedicated solely to the health and medical market that is supporting clinics and practice owners across every aspect that we’ve mentioned – and many more, including:

• Enabling greater access to health services for patients by helping overcome the initial cost barriers
• Simplified processes from the clinic’s perspective by having everything done for you, streamlined through the app
• Enabling clinics to do more and better, with less hassle and paperwork
• Future-proofing medical businesses against a recession where funds may not be so readily available
• Helping achieve better health outcomes for all patients through earlier health access
• Supporting clinics in their goals for optimal health outcomes for all
• Enabling health consumers to access healthcare through alternative avenues, like leveraging employer benefits via employer aid payments

As a health or medical clinic, integrating with HealthNow is very intentionally made simple, easy and free through their innovative technology that has been extensively invested in over recent years. HealthNow has enabled hundreds of medical practices to treat a range of new customers that they never would have had access to prior by providing alternative payment options via their health saver’s wallet, buy now pay later options, and employer aid payments.

Better yet – at the core of HealthNow is the desire to do good for people and communities, which is why they operate with a much higher level of regulatory compliance and keep people at the heart of what they do – focusing on accessibility and improved health outcomes while improving cash flow and new patient rates for their partner clinics.

• Grow your patient or customer base by up to 39%
• Increase your repurchase or re-attendance rate by up to 80%
• Eliminate doubtful debt
• Improve revenue by up to 30%

Learn more about how HealthNow can partner with your clinic or medical service here.