Years ago, men and women from all over the country flocked to Cleveland, OH, Baltimore, MD, and Rochester, Minnesota for the answer. Local hospitals were not equipped with the right tools to diagnose and treat serious medical conditions. Consumers were not willing to receive that kind of care in their hometowns. In fact, when consumers were asked about why they would go to Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, or Johns Hopkins, the answer was usually the same. Hopeful consumers were frustrated with their experiences at local providers, and articulated the same hope for a better experience with greater access to the latest medical knowledge – essentially a different prognosis and a better chance, from those more qualified. When local providers left them wondering, consumers sought out these destination hospitals for the answer, or their last chance for a different answer.
Today, community hospitals are competing with destination centers for patients on the same playing field of high-touch and high-technology.
To further enable the decentralization of competition, many of these world-class hospitals are providing access expertise through local providers. Does this eliminate a need for these healthcare meccas or introduce an integrated pipeline to ensure the next generation of patient flow?
I <3 Healthcare 