The 99 Cent Health Info Download : " Perhaps Americans just don't value health information as much as they do the latest music download available on iTunes for 99 cents.
On the other hand, patients say they would like access to online services to communicate with their doctors. A recent Wall Street Journal/Harris Interactive Health Care Poll found that 77% of adults would like e-mail reminders from their doctors when they are due for a visit. Another three-quarters of adults said they'd like to schedule appointments online and use e-mail to communicate directly with their doctors.
But how much will they be willing to pay for such an 'on-demand' health services?
Not much. I base this assertion on a July study by Forrester Research, 'Seven Things Health Care Consumers Won't Pay $100 For.' According to Forrester, consumers 'remain largely unwilling to pay for solutions whose benefits are abstract and not immediate.' "
This is an opportunity ! Customers will pay for value ! The trick is to provide them with reliable personalised healthcare information they can use immediately - by tailoring it around their PHR and delivering it to them through their mobiles. And maybe their health insurance company would pay for it, if it would help them remain healthy ?
The service you described is one I often wondered about. Dentists (where I live) phone me every few months with a reminder. If I were not to go back for an important medical doctor's appointment no one would ever bother to check up. I would pay for such a service, the $100 would it be a one time subscription, per year .... My idea is that Medical Insurances should cover it. I explain why. OK I am in the middle of cancer treatment so doctor's visits are too frequent. I have found though that some of those visits are not required if the Medical Profession would allow an email. Case in point: I am waiting for two weeks for the results of a pathology report. That is two weeks with little sleep, constant worry etc. Then comes the appointment. Doctor tells me sorry the pathology report did not get a good specimen so we have to do it again. This is costing a lot of money, my time (maybe I am not worth much any more) the doctors assistants for the appointments bookings, the doctor himself. Why not an email stating: Sorry we screwed up with your operation and don;t sit and wait for results because we cannot deliver results. (Language will be different, it is my anger showing through).
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