Two decades ago, few people would have accepted the idea that the upstart online bookseller Amazon.com would ultimately undermine the profitability and survival of brick and mortar retail chains.
Now, telemedicine platforms are poised to create the same type of dramatic disruption in the delivery of healthcare services. And, I increasingly find that healthcare executives are in denial. Many healthcare industry leaders steadfastly believe that the benefits of their physical presence will provide a permanent bulwark against competition originating in the digital realm. Sadly, they are mistaken.
As detailed in this article, executives at health systems, as well as doctors across a range of specialties, ignore the coming transformation at their peril. The single most important lesson of the past two decades is that a physical presence is, ultimately, a weak barrier to virtual competition.
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