What's Up Doc?

Last week I had the privilege of watching 15 doctors talk candidly about technology from behind a one-way mirror. The two focus groups, among general practitioners and specialists, were very educational and at times quite entertaining. While the information gleaned may not be representative of all doctors, it helps provide some qualitative insights around what doctors are really thinking about IT. I’d like to share with you some examples of the key themes and interesting points I saw emerge.

• Doctors want technology to make their lives easier and better, not harder. They do not want to deal with anymore tasks which take them away from patient care.


• Related to the above point, doctors are very frustrated with all the different systems they must learn and the multitude of software updates.


• On a more positive note, they are very fond of training and having the chance to try out systems, including EMR, prior to purchasing them.


• There were some lively discussions around the different generations and their use of technology depending on age and stage of their career (i.e. starting out and looking to increase business through websites and communicating with patients via social media versus doing fine by word-of-mouth and not wanting “unwanted business”).


• Yet again, security rises as a top concern, especially in regards to patient information and liability. Some are extremely concerned about the government and insurance companies hacking into electronic records.


• For quite a few, their IT support is described as, “I got a guy.” Doctors may not be aware of IT terms such as managed services (“Is that like managed care?”), cloud computing or Software as a Service (SaaS), but they do recognize the concept of Internet-based services. They are open to these solutions, especially if their questions around security, liability, training, uptime, accessibility and lock-in are answered.


• Just like patients don’t want to be “ripped off,” the doctors don’t want to be ripped off by the IT providers.

What can IT companies do to help address the above points and increase their chances of success selling solutions to doctors? Like so many other customers and prospects, healthcare providers also need to see what the ROI will be. Keep things simple and remember to clearly state what the benefits will be of the given technology or solution, i.e. exactly how it will save the doctor time, increase security or be accessible, and how you will make it easy for them to learn. For many, managed services or cloud computing/SaaS is exactly what the doctor needs.

Interested in learning more? CompTIA members have access to different studies we conducted on the healthcare IT market via the members section of CompTIA.org. Watch for the 2^nd Annual Healthcare IT Market study to be released soon. Attending Breakaway? Learn more about how to take advantage of the business opportunities available to you in the healthcare IT market during the event. Contact mailto: research@comptia.org for details.