1、 Professional division of labor in medical services
In the provision of traditional medical services, medical services are only provided by hospitals and doctor clinics, covering almost all functions from medical treatment, laboratory testing, diagnosis, and treatment to postoperative rehabilitation and chronic disease management. These "large and comprehensive" institutions have high operating costs, unclear main functions, and a large amount of costs are invested in daily operations rather than targeted treatment for patients; The emerging medical service model exhibits more specialized division of labor, dispersing multiple functions into independent institutions, and providing patients with cheaper and more efficient services through continuously improving information and diagnostic technologies.
Simply dispersing diagnosis and treatment to different institutions can significantly improve service efficiency.
With the help of information technology, patients can upload their own test results through the Internet to obtain accurate diagnosis from professional doctors, and treatment can be completed through micro clinics, specialized hospitals, etc. On the basis of accurate diagnosis, the treatment of many diseases is only a controllable and replicable process, and doctor assistants or even nurses can complete these treatment tasks.
A considerable number of institutions dedicated to this have emerged in the United States, such as RediClinic and Minutclinic (acquired by the American pharmacy chain CVS in 2007), Shouldice Hospital and other surgical specialty hospitals, as well as many ophthalmic clinics, heart disease hospitals, cancer rehabilitation centers, etc. Compared to traditional hospitals that charge for all services on a per project basis, these treatment focused institutions have begun to charge fixed fees to patients based on individual procedures. The process is unified, the risks are controllable, and the resulting medical expenses are clear and explicit. In September 2006, the ProvinCare program of the Geisinger Health System began charging insurance companies a fixed rate fee for selected heart bypass surgeries, along with a 90 day shelf life.
Clayton Christensen's research shows that compared to healthcare institutions that provide both diagnosis and treatment, these clinics that only provide specific treatment services can offer half the price