Internet Informed Patients Are A Good Thing

© U.S. Expediters 2010


Internet Informed Patients Are A Good

ThingJohnny Goodman

Co-Founder + General ManagerCPAP.com

Tuesday, June 18, 13


Who Are They?

What Do They Do?

Why Is What They Do Good?

Why Do Patients Struggle?

What Can You Do?



Who Are They?



The Internet Patient


















Beliefs• I Am My Own Best Healthcare Advocate

• Open Discussions Good, Censorship Bad

• If The System Doesn’t Help, Go Around

• Learn By Stories of Other’s Experiences

• Learn By Trial and Error or “Lab Ratting”

• Help Newbies / Pay It Forward



Themes• I Will Not Give Up, I Will Make This Work

• I Am Doing This For My Family

• I Will Choose, Give Me Tools That Help

• I Will Learn, Surround Me In Community

• I Seek And Share Sleep Performance Data

• I Use Humor To Cope With Challenges

• I Buy From Companies I Feel Good About



Support Quotes

“Thanks to this site and a very good doctor who took the time to answer ALL of my questions, I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel... AND IT’S NOT A TRAIN!!” - fireman38355

“That’s constructive whining. It is allowed, even encouraged.” - jnk

“One year ago today... I started CPAP therapy.. So for those newbies just hosing up, stick with it. You can do it!” - Rustyolddude



Honest Feelings

“Singles, XPAP obvious at night or do you hide it until you get to know and trust your date? -new2

“Quite truthfully, I am scared.” - snuginarug



HumorA Mattress For Side Sleepers



HumorThe Sleep Apnea Fairy



HumorCPAP Mask Decoration Contest



HumorBagpipes!



What Do They Do?



Shop (Online and Offline)



Shop (Online and Offline)

• The Internet Is A Communications Medium

• Most People Buy From Local Providers

• The Traditional System Is Here To Stay

• Patients Value Personal Care

• You Guys Take Insurance, We Don’t

• 3% Of A Big Number Is Still A Big Number!



Create Product TrendsTypes of Machines



Create Product TrendsWhat Is The Most Popular APAP For Those Paying Cash?



Create Product TrendsHow Well Is The Market Accepting An Upgraded Product?



Solve Product ProblemsBuild and Sell CPAP Accessories












Build Community



Build Community CPAPtalk.com Main Page View



Build CommunityFresh Topics Daily



Build CommunityCPAPtalk.com Activity Stats

• Half A Million Posts

• 77,000 Unique Visitors Each Month

• 51,000+ Members

• Growth Continues To Accelerate!



Build CommunityBenefits To Patients

• Breaks Down Stigmas

• Social Structure of Encouragement

• Engaged Patients = Successful Patients

• Meet People Who Have Fought And Won

• 24/7 Access To A Sleep Group



Make Encyclopedias?!?

You Betcha!



Make Encyclopedias?!?CPAPtalk Wiki - Like Wikipedia But For CPAP



Make Encyclopedias?!?What’s A Wiki?

• An Encyclopedia Anyone Can Edit

• A Community Log Of Accepted Knowledge

• An Easy Way For Newbies To Learn

• A Great Quick Reference



Blog

• Mile High Sleeper

• http://smart-sleep-apnea.blogspot.com/

• Joe Rogan’s Sleep Apnea Diagnosis Blog

• http://blog.joerogan.net/archives/215

• Ed Grandi’s Sleep Apnea Blog

• http://www.sleepapneaed.blogspot.com/


http://smart-sleep-apnea.blogspot.com

http://smart-sleep-apnea.blogspot.com

http://blog.joerogan.net/archives/215

http://blog.joerogan.net/archives/215


Evaluate Products

• Would you buy a dishwasher without reading reviews? All it does is dishes...

• Would you buy a car without reading reviews? All it does is drive...

• CPAPs help you breathe. That’s important!

• Better Product Decisions Through Data

• Better Products Decisions = Compliance



Evaluate ProductsWhat Do Others Who Have Used This Say?



CPAP.com Customer Reviews

Evaluate Products



Evaluate ProductsProduct Challenge: Consumer Reports For CPAP Equipment



• Competing Products Are Selected

• Patient Enrollment and Screening

• Trial Period

• Voting Period

• Results Published and Advertised

The Product Challenge In A Nutshell

Evaluate Products



Evaluate ProductsPatients Vote On Quality



Evaluate ProductsProduct Challenge Average Category Rankings

SoftGel ComfortGel



Evaluate ProductsProduct Challenge Individual Reviews



Why Is What They Do Good?



• Patients driven tools > industry driven tools

• Build tools for how people are, not how we want them to be

• “I don’t want TVs in patient rooms, but at home I need my TV on to go to sleep”

• Good support is personal, relevant and occasionally quite messy

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

Build What Is Needed



• Cottage Industry Of Equipment Solutions To:

• Equipment Adjustment Period

• Leaky Masks

• Red Marks

• Sliding Headgears

• Many, many more covered tomorrow...

Custom Products Patch Gaps In Big Mfg Offerings

Build What Is Needed



• Support forums are always on - 24/7/365

• Veteran Internet Patients:

• Love encouraging people

• Love sharing their experiences

• Love paying it forward

Leveraging The Internet’s Power

Huge Resource Pool



• Communities provide:

• An “always learning” mindset

• The latest news and equipment offerings

• An incentive to compete on good health

• An incentive to learn, share and be respected

• A way to spend time very meaningfully

Sleep Apnea Is Not Set And Forget

Keep Patients Engaged



Why Do Patients Struggle?



What Internet Patients Want

• Custom Care

• A Less Cumbersome Diagnostic Experience

• Equipment That “Just Works”

• Support Communities

• Professional

• Peer Group

• To Be Respected and Listened To



Billing Codes :-(

What Internet Patients Get



Billing Codes Are BadPatient Billing Code Expectations

• Insurance is magic. It covers everything.

• Billing is something my provider handles and worries about.

• If a provider doesn’t cover it, it must because they don’t care or “don’t get it”

• When the codes and my needs get cross threaded, you should discard the codes



Billing Codes Are BadThey Take Power Away From Front Lines Care Givers

• They set down rules that force patients and providers into a “this is how its done” box

• They disallow care giver independent decision making or discretion

• They emphasize compliance over efficacy

• Rigid codes ensure that the collections department is bigger than the care department



Billing Codes Are BadThey Make Product Quality Far Less Relevant

• No two CPAPs are the same

• Yet they pay the same for any E0601 device

• Patient opinion and device effectiveness aren’t driving the system

• “Best” is now lowest cost certified product

• Removing the patient weakens the process



Billing Codes Are BadThey Penalize Risk Taking and New Ideas

• Regulations are ambiguous and ever changing

• Effort goes into keeping up with regulations instead of trying new things

• Have a good idea? You must convince the billing code gate keepers that it is “worthy”

• This locks innovators out

• Change is a threat to entrenched powers



Billing Codes Are Bad

Driven By Patient Dollars Billing Codes

Limited By Imagination Regulation

Peer Support Wide and Rich Limited

Product Quality Data Wide and Rich Limited

Barriers To Change Low High

Online Offline

The Great Divide



Why Else Are Patient’s Struggling?



Hard To Meet ExpectationsFighting With One Hand Tied Behind Your Back

• Patient’s walk out of the Apple store and into a Sleep Lab or DME.

• It is very difficult to meet a typical consumers expectations with billing code limits.

• One Size Fits All vs. Custom



Hard To Teach So QuicklyOverwhelmed Patient Seeks Caring Sleep Professional

• Why Am I Here?

• What’s Sleep Apnea?

• What’s a Sleep Lab?

• Is There A Different Between Equipment?

• How Do I Wear This Stuff?!

• How Do I Know Its Working?

• How Do I Care and Freshen Equipment?



When Billing Codes Limit You...

Go Around.



What Can You Do?



Use The Internet To Solve Patient Issues

• Sleep Apnea 101 Education

• CPAP Lifestyle Adjustment Period

• Uninsured or Underinsured Patients

• Super Engaged Patients With Hours Of Questions

• Solve Common Equipment Annoyances Remotely



Stock Comfort Items• Carry Comfort Items In Your Labs/DMEs

• Explain what is available

• Sell them for cash

• Bill for (some of) them

• Get Patients Oriented To Troubleshooting Equipment Through Tweaks

• Know What Is Available



Use The Internet To Keep Up With New Products

• Subscribe to Email CPAP Newsletters

• CPAP.com

• TalkAboutSleep.com

• Browse CPAP.com’s New Product Section

• Get Involved With CPAPtalk.com



Tell Patient’s To Look Online

Give Them The Tools To Learn On Their Own



Questions? Feedback? Slides?

Email: [email protected]

Thank You!


mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Health & Medicine

Internet Informed Patients Are A Good Thing