However, research published in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests outpatients with primary care doctors have better healthcare experiences and receive “significantly more” high-value care. These findings come on the heels of a Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) Health Tracking Poll which revealed that 26% of 1,200 adults surveyed did not have primary care physicians. And of the millennials polled (ages 18-29), nearly half (45%) had no primary care provider.
Why is this important? High-value care include many
diagnostic and preventative screenings that involve clinical laboratory
testing, such as colorectal and mammography cancer screenings, diabetes, and
genetic counseling.
And, this is where clinical laboratories can help.
In the Millennial’s World, Convenience Is King
Millennials are Americans born between the early 1980s to
late 1990s (AKA, Gen Y). And, as Dark
Daily reported, they value convenience, saving money, and connectivity.
Things they reportedly do not associate with traditional primary care
physicians.
According to the KFF poll:
45% of 18 to 29-year-olds,
28% of 30 to 49-year-olds,
18% of 50 to 64-year-olds, and
12% of those age 65 and older, have no
relationship with a primary care provider.
Thus, it’s not just millennials who are not seeing primary
care doctors. They are just the largest age group.
When this many people skip visits to primary care doctors, medical
laboratories may see a marked decline in test volume. Furthermore, shifting
consumer preferences and priorities means clinical laboratories need to reach
out and serve all healthcare consumers, not just millennials, in new and
creative ways.
“We all need care that is coordinated and longitudinal,” Michael Munger, MD, FAAFP, a family physician in Overland Park, Ks., and President of the American Academy of Family Physicians, told the Washington Post. “Regardless of how healthy you are, you need someone who knows you.” (Photo copyright: American Academy of Family Physicians.)
Consider Changes in
Lab Business Model
Dark Daily advises
clinical laboratory leaders to consider changes in how they do business to
better serve busy consumers. Here are a few ways to appeal to people of all
ages who seek value, fast service, and connectivity:
Offer walk-in testing with no appointments.
Create easy-to-navigate online scheduling tools.
Enable patients to request tests without doctors’ orders as the lab’s market allows.
Make results quickly available and in easy-to-understand reports.
Post test results online for patients to securely access in patient portals.
Make it easy to interact with personnel or receive information through lab websites.
Use social media to promote the lab and respond to online reviews.
Younger Americans Do
Not Perceive Value of Primary Care
The JAMA researchers studied 49,286 adults with primary care and 21,133
adults without primary care between 2012 and 2014. The methodology entailed:
39 clinical quality measures,
Seven patient experience measures, and
10 clinical quality composites (six high-value
and four low-value services).
“Americans with primary care received significantly more
high-value care, received slightly more low-value care, and reported
significantly better healthcare access and experience,” the JAMA authors
wrote.
Healthcare Dive notes that the JAMA study may be the first time researchers have substantiated the higher value of primary care, which generally provides services for:
Cancer screening (colorectal and mammography),
Diagnostic and preventive testing,
Diabetes care, and
Counseling.
“Poor primary care supply or access may be hurdles, or some
Americans do not perceive the potential value of primary care, particularly if
they are younger … and healthier,” the JAMA
researchers noted.
The study found that “Only 60% of outpatient antibiotic
prescriptions dispensed in the United States are written in traditional
ambulatory care settings [defined as medical offices and emergency departments].
Growing markets, including urgent care centers and retail clinics, may
contribute to the remaining 40%.”
A Washington Post analysis of this JAMA study reports that “nearly half of patients who sought treatment at an urgent-care clinic for a cold, the flu, or a similar respiratory ailment left with an unnecessary and potentially harmful prescription for antibiotics, compared with 17% of those seen in a doctor’s office.”
This drives home the importance of having a primary care
doctor.
“Antibiotics are useless against viruses and may expose patients to severe side effects with just a single dose,” notes Kevin Fleming, Chief Executive Officer of Loyale Healthcare, a healthcare financial technology company, in its analysis of the earlier JAMA study. “Care that’s delivered on a per-event basis by an array of unrelated providers can’t match the continuity of care that is achievable when a patient receives holistic care within the context of a longer-term physician relationship,” he concluded.
Clinical laboratory leaders and pathologists are advised to
regularly engage with primary care physicians—not just oncologists and other
specialists—and keep them informed on what the lab is doing to better attract
millennials and develop long-term relationships with them based on their values.
Gen Z values differ from previous generations’ values and medical laboratory managers should know in advance how members of this generation are likely to view their new workplaces
Medical laboratories managers and pathology group stakeholders have long been concerned about the looming retirement of Baby Boomers working in America’s clinical laboratories. With more and more members of this age group leaving the workforce, and with the following Gen X and Gen Y workers moving into positions vacated by Boomers, the next generation of workers—Generation Z (Gen Z)—is arriving to fill the gap.
This newest, youngest generation brings unique attributes and values to the clinical laboratory industry. Laboratory managers, pathologists, and business leaders need to understand those characteristics to work with them effectively.
Gen Z Values Reflect the Turbulent Times We Live In
With the addition of this newest age group in corporate America, there are now four distinct generations simultaneously working in the marketplace:
1. Baby Boomers (born early- to mid-1940s to early-1960s;
3. Generation Y (Millennials: born mid-1980s to early-1990s); and
4. Generation Z (Centennials: born mid-1990s to the mid-2000s).
A poll conducted by Ernst and Young LLP (EY) of London for the US Oil and Gas industry found that members of Gen Z have “fairly traditional” career priorities, however their values have been shaped by the nation’s struggles.
“When asked which three considerations are the most important in selecting a future career, both Millennials and Generation Z, as whole, prioritized salary (56%), good work-life balance (49%), job stability (37%), and on-the-job happiness (37%),” the EY survey reported.
Even though they are often clumped together with Millennials (Gen Y), recent research shows that the two generations are vastly different.
“Gen Z employees bring unique values, expectations, and perspectives to their jobs,” Paul McDonald, Senior Executive Director at staffing firm Robert Half, stated in a news release. “They’ve grown up in economically turbulent times, and many of their characteristics and motivations reflect that.”
Move over Baby Boomers! You no longer are the largest proportion of the population of the United States. According to the US Census Bureau, Generation Z (AKA, iGen and Post Millennials) make up about 25% of the US population or approximately 70-million people. However, it is estimated that by 2021, Gen Z will total 40% of all consumers in the US and account for one-fifth of the workforce. This youngest generation is now entering the clinical laboratory workforce in growing numbers. (Graphic copyright: Oklahoma Minerals.)
Though Millennials represent the largest portion of the workforce in America, Gen Z is the largest population of people overall and it’s growing. The oldest members will have reached the age of 21 in 2016-2017. Many will be graduating from college and seeking employment opportunities.
Gen Z Members are Technically Savvy; Seek Job Security/Stability
Members of Gen Z are familiar and fluent with computers, technology, and the Web. Therefore, business websites and social media presence are things they will examine when researching companies for job opportunities. Living in a world of perpetual updates and real-time communications makes them quick at processing information. Centennials also tend to be first-rate multitaskers, capable of focusing while numerous distractions occur around them.
“This group of professionals has grown up with technology available to them around the clock and is accustomed to constant learning,” McDonald stated in the Robert Half news release. “Companies with a solid understanding of this generation’s values and preferences will be well prepared to create work environments that attract a new generation of employees and maximize their potential.”
Stability and job security seem to be more important for Gen Z than it is for Gen Y. A recent study by staffing firm Adecco found that 70% of Gen Z prefer a stable work environment over one that offers passion, but little security.
“They saw their grandparents have to go back to work or their parents have struggles during the financial crisis,” noted McDonald in a MarketWatch article. “They want to work for companies long-term in their career.”
Where millennials are known to change jobs frequently, a 2015 study conducted by Robert Half found that centennials plan to work for only four companies in their entire careers. The same study also found that Generation Z prefer to work in business office environments instead of working remotely.
Centennials are also more interested in the values and fairness of their bosses and the company mission statements. Equal pay, promotions, and accolades need to be equitable across all genders, races, and other differences. Generation Z is also entrepreneurial and creative and they desire to interact with people in person.
“Be prepared to spend time with them face to face,” McDonald stated. “They want to be mentored and coached. If you coach them, you’re going to retain them.”
Gen Z Politics are Mixed
Generation Z also differs from Millennials in the political arena. In a New York Post column, Jeff Brauer, Professor of Political Science at Keystone College in La Plume, Penn., indicated that Generation Z is liberal on some issues while being conservative on other issues.
“Politically, Generation Z is liberal-moderate with social issues like support for marriage, equality, and civil rights, and moderate-conservative with fiscal and security issues,” Brauer stated. “While many are not connected to the two major parties and lean independent, Gen Z’s inclinations generally fit moderate Republicans.”
Brauer’s research found that members of Gen Z tend to value economic stability and security higher than the previous generation because they have grown up in an era peppered with terror threats, a shaky economy, and mass school shootings.
“This generation is different, and they are about to have a profound impact on commerce, politics, and trends,” stated Brauer in the NY Post column. “If politicians and business leaders aren’t paying attention yet, they better, because [Centennials] are about to change the world.”
As Generation Z comes of age, more of them will be working in the medical professions. Clinical laboratories and anatomic pathology groups would be well advised to prepare their businesses by adjusting leadership, adapting recruiting efforts, and shifting marketing to attract Centennials and remain relevant and successful in the future.
Two different deals aim to bring a new style of healthcare insurance to individuals and small businesses
Designed to be a new model for health insurance, the much-watched Oscar Health (Oscar), founded in 2012, has just inked deals with both the Cleveland Clinic and Humana, Inc. What makes Oscar worth watching by pathologists and clinical laboratory managers is that the innovative insurer was founded and is run by Gen X and Gen Y (Millennial) executives.
Oscar Health is billed by its Millennial cofounders as a new type of health insurance—one that “curates” or coordinates members’ care with the help of health information technology (HIT) on the Internet, a smartphone app, and personalized services by concierge teams. So, it is interesting for pathologists and medical laboratory leaders to note that New York-based Oscar is partnering, through two different deals, with well-established Cleveland Clinic and rival Humana to enter the Ohio and Tennessee healthcare markets.
As Dark Daily reported in a previous e-briefing, Oscar aims to leverage sophisticated technology solutions and data to challenge complexity and costs associated with traditional healthcare insurance. An approach no doubt driven by the modern thinking of the company’s young founders. We alerted lab leaders that the insurance startup could be the latest example of technology’s power in the hands of Gen Y and Gen X entrepreneurs.
And while Oscar has reportedly experienced financial challenges, it is moving forward with the widely publicized new partnerships, as well as additional plans to expand insurance coverage in more states. Therefore, it’s important for clinical laboratory professionals to follow Oscar, which soon could be a healthcare payer of clinical laboratory and anatomic pathology services in more regions of the country.
Why Is Oscar Teaming Up with Cleveland Clinic, Humana?
In short, Cleveland Clinic is making its debut into the health insurance market with Oscar. And Oscar is moving into Ohio on the coat tails of this nationally prominent healthcare provider. The co-branded Cleveland Clinic/Oscar Health insurance plan will be offered to northeast Ohio residents in the fall for coverage effective Jan. 1, according to a Cleveland Clinic news release.
“This is a rare opportunity to work with the Cleveland Clinic to deliver the simpler, better, and affordable healthcare experience that consumers want,” said Mario Schlosser, Oscar’s Chief Executive Officer and cofounder in the news release.
Josh Kushner (left) and Mario Schlosser (right) cofounded Oscar Health, a New York-based health insurer that employs computer technologies, a mobile app, and concierge-style healthcare teams to provide members with a modern health plan experience and easy access to quality healthcare providers. (Photo copyright: Los Angeles Times.)
Access to primary care providers affiliated with the Cleveland Clinic, and an Oscar Health concierge team (a nurse and three care guides) that can refer patients based on their needs to other providers in the care continuum;
Smartphone technology to make it possible for members to explore their health needs, find options, and review costs.
“We are looking to build a new relationship among payers, providers, and patients. This relationship goes beyond the traditional approach of getting sick and seeing the doctor,” noted Brian Donley, MD, Cleveland Clinic’s Chief of Staff.
In an article on the partnership, Forbes suggested that narrow healthcare networks like the Cleveland Clinic/Oscar model might be just what the ACA exchanges need to remain operational.
However, a Business Insider article suggests that Oscar—already active in New York, Texas, and California health exchanges—could be adversely affected by a successful replacement of the ACA, currently being debated by Congressional lawmakers.
Nevertheless, Alan Warren, PhD, Oscar’s Chief Technology Officer, told Business Insider that the Cleveland Clinic/Oscar Health insurance plan would go forward even if Obamacare did not.
Formal Rival Humana Now Oscar’s Partner in Small Business Insurance
Meanwhile, the partnership with Humana takes Oscar, which launched Oscar for Business in April, 2017, further into the small business health insurance market. Humana and Oscar will sell commercial health insurance to small businesses in a nine-county Nashville, Tenn., area effective in the fall, according to a joint Oscar/Humana news release.
“The individual market was a good starting point. But it was clear from the beginning that the majority of insurance in the US is delivered through employers,” Schlosser stated in a New YorkTimes article.
As to who does what, Beth Bierbower, Humana’s Group and Specialty Segment President, explained in an article in the Tennessean that Humana will contract with hospitals and doctors for small business insurance, while Oscar’s technology solutions will help small businesses and their employees manage healthcare benefits and gain access to providers. “These people [at Oscar] are on to something,” she noted. “They are doing something a little different. Maybe this is a situation where one plus one, together, might equal three.”
Future Growth Planned by Oscar
The New York Times called Nashville “a new step for Oscar,” and noted that it follows Oscar’s recent loss of $25.8 million during the first three months of 2017—47% less than Oscar lost during the same period in 2016. Since its inception, however, Oscar has raised $350 million in investment capital, much of it from Silicon Valley investors.
Also, Oscar’s small-business health insurance plans, which started in the spring in New York, might launch in New Jersey and California as well, an Oscar spokesperson stated in a Modern Healthcare article that also reported on Oscar’s intent to increase individual plans sold in the ACA Marketplace from three states to six in 2018.
Clinical Laboratories Benefit from Increased Consumer Access to Health Providers
Could Oscar succeed with its new Cleveland Clinic and Humana partners? Possibly. Both deals are pending regulatory approval as of this writing.
In any case, the whole idea of making insurance more palatable for consumers is something clinical laboratories, which are gateways to healthcare, should applaud and support. It is good to know that insurers like Oscar are using technology and personal outreach to ease consumers’ access to providers and help them explore options and costs.
In New York City, innovative clinical laboratories have the opportunity to become a network provider for the region’s newest health insurance company
Three Generation Y entrepreneurs are ready to take on traditional health insurers with their own innovative health insurance company. They claim their novel start-up can better meet the new consumer expectations and behaviors within the insurance industry. If correct, their venture could disrupt the post-Obamacare insurance world.
Game-changing Health Insurance Company?
The Gen Y trio is made up of Josh Kushner, Kevin Namezi, and Mario Schlosser. They recently launched Oscar Health Insurance, based in New York. Kushner is the founder of the tech investment firm Thrive Capital. Kevin Nazemi, Oscar’s president, is a former director of healthcare for Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT). Mario Schlosser is a former McKinsey & Company computer scientist. (more…)
DATELINE—BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND: Workforce issues in medical laboratories received special attention here at the 10th Annual Frontiers in Laboratory Medicine (FiLM) conference that ended last week. Probably the major concern going forward is how to attract, train, and sustain adequate numbers in the medical laboratory workforce.
Two speakers addressed medical laboratory workforce issues at a strategic level, with an overview about developments in the United Kingdom and the United States. Speaking about the United Kingdom was Professor Sue Hill, OBE, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer for the National Health Service. Speaking about the United States was Elissa Passiment, Ed.M., CLS (NCA), Executive Vice President, American Society of Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS). (more…)
