Healthcare Reimagined: Who Knew Going to the Dentist Could be Fun?!
The New “Hospital”
Back when I worked in orthopedics I was getting reports from medical sales reps in the field that they were spending less time in their major metro hospitals. Looking at regional performance, the numbers hadn’t changed, but I did see that more surgeries were being billed from ambulatory surgery centers. By the end of 2021, nearly 30% of the reported elective procedures were being performed outside of major hospitals. Why this shift?
With the growing pressure from people who want a patient-centric experience to address their health needs, more surgeons are opting to take procedures off-site to a surgery center. Many of these centers are owned outright by the doctors which makes it more profitable for them, and the patients benefit with shorter wait times, quicker procedures, and a more personal touch. Win-win.
Patient Care + Hospitality
One healthcare company that has responded to this pressure for a technology-driven, patient-centric experience is One Medical, which was recently acquired by Amazon for $3.9 billion.
"If you fast forward 10 years from now, people are not going to believe how primary care was administered. For decades, you called your doctor, made an appointment three or four weeks out, drove 15 to 20 minutes to the doctor, parked your car, signed in and waited several minutes in reception, eventually were placed in an exam room, where you waited another 10 to 15 minutes before the doctor came in, saw you for five to ten minutes and prescribed medicine, and then you drove 20 minutes to the pharmacy to pick it up – " Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said in a statement. "Customers want and deserve better, and that’s what One Medical has been working and innovating on for more than a decade [1].”
But this trend is not limited to elective surgeries and primary care — it’s also happening in dentistry. Juxtapose, a VC studio, had been conducting extensive market research when they called on a former decision maker at One Medical. Someone who had a talent for real estate and an eye for design and branding: Andy Grover, who helped scale the primary care startup to almost 100 locations nationwide. Andy, along with Doug Hudson and Michael Stenclik, were invited to build out a dentist office experience that people actually looked forward to.
Addressing the Root of the Problem
If you grew up having cavities filled or root canals performed, chances are you don’t have the most positive association with the dentist. Andy and I were both lucky enough to have gotten gold stars every time we went in for a cleaning so we are those weird people who actually enjoy the dentist. Discussing typical customer feelings towards the dentist, Andy said,
“People’s emotional journeys around the dentist can be uncomfortable, so we had to focus on building trust between patient and provider. We took the temperature down on the environment by doing things like hiding the tray of tortuous-looking dental tools from sight and amped up the branding with 60” screens with your name welcoming you into a beautifully designed suite.”
Tend’s location strategy was also uniquely focused on urban hubs, whereas most dental offices were located in suburban areas or near hospital complexes on “Pill Hill.” Then in March 2020, New York shut down and the three dental offices that had launched since late 2019 closed their doors.
“Things were really tough. We had only been in full operation for 6 months when we had to shut down the offices.”
When asked about the pressure this placed between the founders and their investors, Andy said,
“In difficult environments investors care deeply about runway and cash preservation as well as the performance of the business. How much money do you have for continued operations and how are you going to make it last as long as possible? In times like that, you have to be decisive. It was a highly uncertain time, but we also knew we had a great product market fit and could pivot our care practices to match COVID guidelines.”
Redefining Patient Care
As it turns out, 2020 and 2021 ended up being huge growth years for Tend. In March of 2021 they closed their Series C round, bringing their total investment capital to $198 million. Tend now has 23 studios with plans to expand to even more locations [2].
The healthcare landscape is shifting from centralized hospital systems to more decentralized, patient-centric models like ambulatory surgery centers and standalone primary care facilities. Companies like Tend, which emphasize personalized patient experiences and technological innovation, are leading the way in this revolution. Who doesn’t want the best patient experience with care delivered more efficiently and effectively? Tend’s significant strides despite the disruptive effects of the pandemic point to the enormous potential for continued growth and transformation in the healthcare sector.
Victoria is a Product Strategy & Leadership Coach with 14 years of experience in corporate America, spanning from industrial powerhouses to agile startups. With a background in biomedical engineering, Victoria’s expertise include med device sales, health tech marketing, and full lifecycle product management. As an operator-turned-coach, Victoria excels at guiding leaders of early growth stage startups in the med device, health tech and pharma industries.
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