Patient Communities Should Change | Out-Of-Pocket

I posit that patient communities have to move beyond the traditional social network product of “we’re a platform for you to find others like you” and monetize attention. Instead they’ll use a combination of communities, digital tools, and services to actually help patients in their care journeys and get paid for outcomes or services rendered.

First of all, patients are already seeking information online about their issues. This can be some combination of the fact that advice from the internet is free, they’re embarrassed about their issues, and they feel the medical system is not hearing what they have to say. However, these communities are almost entirely disconnected from the current ... See more

The main premise is that insurance consists of pools of people that have different disease types, but insurance companies make no concerted effort to connect patients of similar disease types, despite all the research above that suggests patients care choices can actually be influenced by peers with a similar disease.

I’ve seen a lot of new patient communities pop-up recently. I think it’s the combination of communities being the hot topic in VC land, the idea that communities provide some sort of defensibility for a product, and the fact that everyone is online now and exploring new parts of the internet.

Second, utilizing patient communities well can improve outcomes in a cost-effective way. Cohort-based programs like Omada, Noom, etc. use group chats and group dynamics to keep members engaged and provide positive feedback on hitting goals. This is the cheapest form of patient engagement and support you can get because it’s from other patients.