The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on Australian society and business. Not since the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic has Australia faced so strict restrictions due to a medical crisis. While the lockdown and strict social distancing have saved Australia from the number of cases, not to mention deaths experienced by a number of other countries, it has seriously impacted people’s ability to work and make money.
There is going to be a long road to recovery, but MyHealth1st has a roadmap that can help.
Trying to return to the way things were before isn’t a road forward. The world has changed in the last few months, and failure to embrace that change will make a return to the new normal long and hard. By embracing the changes that the COVID-19 pandemic has wrought and coming up with plans to directly face the difficulties that you, and the Australian public may be dealing with will speed the recovery of your practice.
The Fear Factor
Even with restrictions being relaxed, many people are still afraid to venture out of the house on a regular basis, either for fear of contracting the virus or a second wave of infections. This fear is especially impactful for medical practices across the country. People have been avoiding booking healthcare appointments during the lockdown, and this habit doesn’t appear to be changing any time soon.
This ongoing fear of catching the coronavirus, new patients are unlikely to want to go anywhere they are not comfortable and many of your existing patients simply won’t be able to return, which will place a demand on practices who are already hurting financially from the impact of having to find new, clever and economical ways to get new patients in the door. So how do you overcome this fear and communicate to patients that your practice is safe and hygienic?
Financial Strife
The coronavirus pandemic has had a marked impact on the number of people employed in Australia. Official government statistics place the unemployment rate at 6.2% and the underutilisation rate (those underemployed) at 19.9%. Financial consulting giant Goldman Sachs believes that those figures may be misleading as they do not take into account the number of people not working but retained using the JobKeeper payments, older people not actively looking for work during the lockdown even if they would prefer to work, those furloughed at a reduced wage but still technically employed and people that have had their hours drastically cut. Goldman Sachs estimates that by June the true unemployment rate may be as high as 19%, or nearly 1 in 5 people out of work.
Even though some medical professions have been hit harder than others due to strict restrictions placed upon the kinds of services or treatments they could offer during the lockdown, all medical professionals are feeling the pinch, due to patients facing financial hardships not booking appointments. Everybody is financially stressed in some fashion - even those currently working worry that their jobs may be in jeopardy.
The Digital Revolution
The coronavirus pandemic isn’t going to last forever, even though it may sometimes feel that way. Due to social distancing and working from home, Australia has been forced to move online for a number of things, from shopping to collaboration to booking and attending medical appointments. Even with the current relaxation of the lockdown rules, and their eventual repeal, it’s highly unlikely that people who have experienced and grown accustomed to the convenience of the online world are going to turn their backs on the technology.
Once you let a genie out of the bottle it’s hard, if not impossible to put it back in.
Australia has not been the fastest country in the world to embrace telehealth, but viewing telehealth, and online health options as a whole, as a short term solution to the problem of COVID-19 could definitely be shortsighted.
MyHealth1st has seen what happens when patients get a taste of a new technology and the convenience it can bring. We’re seeing patients actually choosing providers based on their adaption to and embrace of digital technology, from online bookings to telehealth and ePrescriptions.
Has your practice embraced the online world? Join EasyTelehealth today.
Returning to the New Normal
MyHealth1st has compiled a checklist to help you navigate your practice through these troubled times , shortening your road to recovery. The checklist comprises questions and ideas relating to health and safety concerns, financial issues, human resources, marketing and technology.
Simply click the link to download the checklist and get started on your path to recovery!
