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Hey Health Techies!

A few years ago, the idea of “shopping” for healthcare felt super uncomfortable.
But today? Patients are doing it without thinking twice.

They’re ChatGPT’ing symptoms before appointments. Comparing provider reviews. Wondering why when they finally get the courage to make an appointment, they have to wait months to be seen. And asking themselves the question healthcare has avoided for decades:

Why is this so hard?

That question is what’s driving the current wave of consumerization of healthcare.

How we got here

For a long time, healthcare didn’t need to compete on experience. Care was fragmented, opaque, and inconvenient but also unavoidable. You went where you were sent. You waited. You paid the bill later and tried not to look at it too closely.

As deductibles climbed and digital tools popped up all over the place, patients started behaving like consumers because financially and emotionally, they are consumers now. They want to understand their options. They want to know what something costs ahead of time (I mean really, is this too much to ask?). They want care that fits into their lives instead of disrupting them.

Healthcare has been headed this way for a long time, but over the past few years it seems like we’ve been speeding toward a future that we’re likely not very ready for, and honestly it currently feels like this movement is moving at warp speed.

The shift

Consumer healthcare products of years past were a bit different. Most wearables and other D2C products were more for people looking to optimize their health than those using it as a replacement for regular care. Smartwatch wearers and and other wellness devices are notoriously worn by athletes and those looking to gain even more insight into their care on a day to day basis.

But now with the increased marketing of medications directly to consumers (hello TrumpRx, LillyDirect and others), AI services meant to replace the need for a doctor’s signature for refills (think Doctronic), and consumer AI products intended to answer health questions (like ChatGPT Health), it feels like we’re in a new era entirely.

I mean just take some of the commercials that we saw at the big game this past weekend:

Where the tension lives

Here’s where things get complicated. If there’s one thing clinicians have always wanted, it’s for patients to be active participants in their care.

Unfortunately, we’ve traditionally struggled to find ways to make it stick. Long before apps, portals, and AI copilots, clinicians were already encouraging patients to ask questions, track their symptoms, follow treatment plans, and make informed decisions.

Clinicians wanted patients to be informed but not overwhelmed. Engaged but not responsible for diagnosing themselves by Googling their symptoms at 2 a.m.

On paper, beginning to market so many solutions directly to consumers sounds aligned with those values. It could encourage autonomy, education, and real patient-provider partnership. In practice, it often shows up as more choices, more confusion and often without the guidance of a provider to help make sense of the chaos.

At its best, consumerized healthcare doesn’t turn patients into customers. It turns them into partners—with better tools, clearer information, and guardrails that respect clinical expertise. That balance is hard. It requires thoughtful design, strong clinical voices in product decisions (I still feel strongly that this isn’t happening enough), and a deep respect for how healthcare actually works.

Which is exactly why this moment matters so much.

Healthcare isn’t a retail experience (though my stories from my days in a retail pharmacy would imply that it is). Speed and convenience can’t override safety, nuance, or trust. A misstep in healthcare has real consequences, far more serious than a delayed package.

Why clinicians are the missing piece

The people best equipped to build consumer healthcare products all along haven’t just been designers or engineers but the ones who’ve sat with patients, navigated broken workflows and felt the friction firsthand.

Clinicians understand what should be simple but isn’t. They can tell the difference between a helpful tool and a risky one. They know the real blockers keeping patients from taking the steps that they need to for their health.

As healthcare becomes more consumer-driven, roles that blend clinical insight with product thinking, operations, strategy, and patient experience are becoming more and more essential. And not only that, clinicians in practice need to understand how to talk to patients about these solutions — when to trust them and when to seek out additional support from a professional. Because that isn’t always clear.

In many cases, we’re giving patients more access to care solutions but without the necessary guardrails or education in place to know how to use it responsibly. And it’s time for us to meet them where they are.

And the clock is ticking. This is moving faster than we know. To maintain trust and preserve the provider-patient relationship, we need clinicians to be able to help patients navigate this new landscape with clarity and confidence.

If you’re reading this, I know you’re up for the challenge.

Partnered with Test Double

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Until next time,

Lauren