Medical Franchises

A very interesting post at The Future Uncertain, about medical franchises, and how the future of medicine may look more and more like McDonalds. Not in terms of quality, but in brand recognition. Major hospitals already advertise to some extend, but it’s almost entirely regional. Many hospitals are at the same time making satellite locations (franchises?). This is certainly already the case with places like Kelsey-Seybold in some areas (more of a for profit clinic than a hospital). Follow this trend out and see where it leads.

Lab services are certainly getting more centralized, right now I would estimate most of your lab testing if you go to your local doctor is either done by quest or labcorb, it will only move more in that direction due to cost, and the ability for those companies to offer esoteric testing at a rate that is profitable. When your medical franchise doesn’t have to deal with all the things like nurse staffing (increasingly mobile and centralized), and lab testing, some of the largest barriers to growth are removed. (This if course completely ignores any possible socialization of the scene, which is somewhat probable.) Who knows, but the future seems uncertain indeed.