Imagine if you could book a doctor’s appointment or look for a specific medical service just as easy as booking a flight or a hotel on Priceline or make a dinner reservation on OpenTable.
If all healthcare providers offered a menu of services and associated prices, consumers would be empowered to shop around for their medical services. This approach promotes capitalism and consumer choice, allowing providers to compete on the basics of price and quality. This increases consumer knowledge and openness to new forms of medical delivery that do not compromise medical care.
Think about the way consumers purchase other goods and services – someone who buys a television on Amazon, rather than at a local store, typically does so because Amazon’s price is better.
And like other services we pay for, we need information on the quality of the goods received. A future state, based on true economic principles, will lead to quality measurement, monitoring and communication. Through media, e.g. Consumer Reports and social media platforms, as well as user reviews, consumers will have the tools they need to be informed and educated. Providers will benefit from corresponding rewards and increased business or, alternatively, be affected by penalties resulting in decreased business.
We created MediXall.com with the cash-paying customer at the forefront of our design. The online experience was designed to mirror other e-commerce sites found in other markets, with it centered around creating an online marketplace for healthcare services in the same way retailers sell their goods on the Amazon Prime platform, providing consumers Amazon-style reviews, transparent pricing, and comparative shopping. Currently, the website enables consumers to search and compare diagnostic imaging services from qualified and vetted providers based on all-in cash price, location/distance, ratings, and availability, and select the best value according to personal preferences.
