It’s hard to underestimate the valuable impact of digital transformation on the healthcare industry. With a variety of tech solutions used by practitioners and their patients, medical services have become not just more accessible, but also more accurate and effective.
In this article, we are going to provide you with some useful information about marketplace platforms and their positive impact on healthcare. And for sure, offer some mind-blowing examples of how such solutions can be used on a brilliant example of an Uber-like app for doctors developed by a trusted technology partner and software development company Emerline.
Marketplace Platform: Introduction
To start with, let’s define a marketplace platform to create a clear picture of what it is and why healthcare providers may need it.
Wikipedia defines a marketplace platform as a type of e-commerce site where product or service information is provided by multiple third parties. It’s also mentioned that such solutions can ‘streamline the production process.’
In other words, marketplace platforms serve as a facilitator of exchanges between buyers and sellers. But that’s not all. The thing to mention here is that rentals, exchanges, negotiations, auctions, and other forms of interactions are also covered by these solutions. At the same time, interactions may involve a variety of members, including individuals, products, locations, projects, etc. To put it all together, marketplace platforms can find their way to any business that deals with customers and vendor relationships, including healthcare companies which are the focus of this article.
How To Use Marketplace Platform in Healthcare?
While there are still a lot of concerns about the Coronavirus outbreak and we still live in the world where the pandemic dictates its rules, regular healthcare-related issues haven’t disappeared, and when (hopefully soon), the number of infected with COVID people get to a minimum, there still be a need in the optimization of healthcare.
As any service providers, representatives of the healthcare industry will have to continue the competition, trying to find the golden mean between expectations of their customers and the cost of the services on offer. And considering the fact that today customers can get nearly anything in two clicks, this model will also be required in healthcare. Allowing to eliminate excessive services and pitfalls, crash the barriers within the organization, and increase customer satisfaction, a marketplace platform can serve as a great solution. So let’s look at some bright examples of how it can be used.
Health Insurance
When people want to ensure their well-being, get extra confidence in tomorrow, and keep anxiety associated with costs of medical services under control, generally, they choose insurance as a solution. But, as you know, insurance plans largely vary, and sometimes, choosing the best option is not as simple as it may seem at first, especially when taking into account the need in compliance with the regional healthcare reforms.
Having a marketplace platform at hand, healthcare industry players can achieve a private insurance model which implies that there will be an intermediary between a healthcare company and its customers – an insurance provider. Furthermore, the company’s customers will be able to get exceptionally fast and accurate service, as the platform will automatically determine the best insurance plan for every individual in a few seconds, as well as allow them to avoid unnecessary fuss around the transactions.
Telehealth
The pandemic situation has resulted in a huge rise in telehealth services and it can be assumed that the tendency to use technologies for the provision of health information and services will rather remain at the same level or continue to increase. And here’s where marketplace platforms can come into play, offering the ability for remote healthcare services for people with chronic illnesses (remote management and those who need post-hospitalization support. Also, marketplace platforms can be leveraged to schools for healthcare purposes, allowing students to get immediate consultation on their health in case they are feeling unwell. One more branch covered is preventive care.
‘Uber’ Model Leveraged to Healthcare
Following the same Uber scheme (schedule the ride – accept the price- receive information about the car and the driver), marketplace platforms can be used in healthcare to ensure extra convenience in service delivery. As we promised, there’s a real-life example of such a solution developed by a software provider Emerline, it’s an Uber-like app for doctors that now allows its owner to outperform competitors by offering quick and easy-to-access medical service delivery.
It’s a healthcare system for doctors that consists of a web app, mobile app, and custom EMR system with a user-friendly online editor for documents.
And it’s not just an ordinary healthcare solution be the one adapted to the current epidemic situation. The product ensures the convenience of work for medical professionals and eases of use for patients requiring prompt medical help or Covid test. While the software provider is in the continuous process of the solution’s enhancement, even today it offers the client a range of competitive business benefits:
- Users of the app receive medical help in the shortest time, in the convenience of their homes and the simplicity of a mobile solution, together contributing to greater levels of loyalty and trust among patients.
- The convenience of the delivered system also positively impacts retention rates among the client’s employees.
- Group requests allow receiving large orders. For example, it could be a wedding, corporate event, banquet, etc., where guests are required to provide a negative RT-PCR test.
- The client can receive fees for the use of the app by third-party providers that operate in other states.
- The developed custom EMR system with an easy-to-use custom document editor can also be sold as a stand-alone solution to third-party providers.
You can learn more about the app, its features, and the process of development here.
Supply Aggregation
Because healthcare is not just about diagnostics and treatment, marketplace platforms can also be used as a means to gather other services offered by different providers (in different spheres) in one place, from teeth whitening procedures and beauty injections to birthmark removal treatments. For sure, this will contribute to a significant increase in customer satisfaction as there will be no more need in searching for the service and its provider for hours. Within a marketplace platform, a customer will be able to see a variety of service offerings with all the important details, whether it is location, price, provider’s experience, or rank. Sounds great, right? Sounds great, right? Want some examples? You are welcome to explore Emerline’s portfolio!
Bottom Line
As you can see, companies that leverage marketplace platforms to their businesses and enjoy a great bunch of competitive benefits. With a growing demand for the digitalization of services, including those related to healthcare, quite soon there will be no questions like ‘implement or not to implement. So, if you have a business connected to healthcare and think about the possible way of getting a competitive edge, consider a marketplace platform as the solution. But make sure to choose a reliable software provider with a proven track record of service delivery.