Paul received his first bottle of pills from Hims in May. He said he didn’t really need generic Viagra, but after a friend boasted that he’d been using it for years to "go through more cycles," Paul thought he would. So he joined Hims and found the process of getting it from a direct-to-consumer company almost disturbing. Paul, who is in his 40s, answered several questions online, said a doctor reviewed his answers, and then a bottle of pills appeared in the mail a few days later.
He had used the drug twice, even though it was not the way he thought it would be. No one explained what to expect, which might not happen in a normal clinic. When I asked Paul (pseudonym) why he didn’t go to his regular doctor about the problem, his answer was short: "Quick, easy, sure, won’t agree." my doctor." Her primary care provider had been saying for a while that she thought she was taking too much Viagra.
The direct-to-consumer healthcare industry has exploded in recent years. The pandemic has accelerated the rise of telehealth, which is part of the culture and legality of these DTC companies. Grand View Research estimates that the global telehealth market will be worth $101.2 billion by 2023 and is growing rapidly. Many startups have sprung up to take advantage of this growth, with venture capital and investor dollars pouring in. Hims & Hers Health has a market capitalization of more than $4 billion. Ro, one of the other big players in the industry, has raised more than $1 billion and has a valuation of $6.6 billion, according to PitchBook.
These companies sell a wide range of products to help with everything from weight loss to mental health. Most of their business propositions, however, are aimed specifically at young men and, in particular, at insecurities. Are you worried about your hair? Your fertility? What about the construction process? Are you afraid to talk directly to your doctor about it? Well, Hims promises you can "skip the pointless doctor’s visit" and offer "ED meds from your couch." "Hello, you are beautiful" just click.
"These platforms are basically put in place to minimize the distance from advertising and connect consumers with getting a prescription in their hands," said Matthew McCoy, assistant professor in the Department of Medical Ethics. – Medicine and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. "The advantage of this is flexibility – people, of course, don’t have much time to spend on these kinds of things. What you get is colored by the financial incentives of the company and not your doctor’s honest opinion about what is best for you in terms of treatment."
Those at the forefront of the DTC health revolution have American men right where they want them: insecure, unhinged and ready to open their wallets.
There is SOME How these services work varies, but the main thing is this: You go to a website (perhaps because you saw an ad for it), fill out a questionnaire about your health condition, maybe talk to a doctor. (even if you don’t see it often) , and then voilà, there is medicine coming to you in what is promised to be a discreet package.
"It often bypasses traditional health care, and often without the involvement of health care providers," said Ashwini Nagappan, a doctoral candidate at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health who studied on DTC medicine and ethics.
There is a small appeal: DTC drug services can help access people who live in remote areas or cannot see a doctor. But for many customers, and especially young men, the advantage is that it is more convenient than usual.
"In general, men are less likely to use fertility treatments than women," says Joshua Halpern, chief scientific officer of Posterity Health, a male fertility clinic, and professor assistant professor of urology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. "And we know that many young people don’t have a primary care doctor, so the process of getting care can be daunting, especially when it can take months to get an appointment."
Even if they have a relationship with a therapist, they may not be the type who feel comfortable bringing up sensitive or stigmatizing issues. Research shows that when it comes to seeking care for sexual health problems, privacy is the most important thing for young men. A review of the literature on DTC telemedicine and men indicated that men using DTC platforms cite importance as a major motivation, as well as shame and dignity. Financial factors, interestingly, play less. Surveys conducted in late 2019 and early 2020 found that men under 40 and middle-aged were more likely to use DTC telehealth services than older men. and rich.
Although the DTC service may help with timely access and does some work in demystifying some problems, there are significant drawbacks. Men who use these services may not get the full evaluation they need to diagnose their condition and address their overall health, Halpern said, and they may not find a doctor who is best suited to manage their condition. those.
"They can pay more for care that might be more expensive elsewhere or even covered by health insurance," he said.
His research suggests that some sectors may be providing what is known as guideline-consistent care, meaning that patients are receiving unnecessary tests and inappropriate treatments, such as testosterone replacement for men who are trying to conceive, which can be harmful in some cases. Many doctors have sounded the alarm about DTC telehealth companies, and some companies have also run into legal trouble. The Department of Justice has charged the leaders of ADHD-focused telecommunications company Done with fraudulent practices and advertising of Adderall.
For all the problems with the DTC business, it’s worth noting that traditional healthcare isn’t perfect. Patients can lie directly to their doctors. Providers do not fully monitor the health of their patients or anything they take. Going through insurance and appointments is a hassle. But distributing drugs in a formless manner across the Internet is different from what happened in historical health care, and it poses different risks.
These companies sell drugs.
"When you’re in person or doing telehealth through a more established healthcare organization, there’s less collection of your medical history," Nagappan said.
Although the DTC sector claims that they have an important goal of serving young men with medical needs that they would otherwise ignore, the financial reasons are not the same as those there. in a regular doctor’s office.
"These companies are in the business of selling drugs," McCoy said. "Medical providers are in the business of providing the best treatment, which sometimes involves prescribing drugs, but sometimes there are other ways or none at all."
A man who got generic Viagra through Hims told me he went on stage to avoid the "8 million" questions his doctor would ask – and he knew he might be accepted. "I mean, whenever you’re dealing with pharmaceutical companies that are trying to do direct-to-consumer, you have to know that their doctors are just checking a box," he said. "They won’t give you too many ads. If you have a pulse, they’ll give you a prescription." (He was also concerned about privacy, but said the package wasn’t as discreet as he’d hoped — "Hims" was on the shipping label, and he knew the mailman.)
These companies make money if you buy something, and it’s better if you place recurring subscriptions, so advertising that appeals to the fears of young men can be the most profitable.
"You could say that makes them a target for high pressure, potentially manipulative marketing in a way that we should be concerned about," McCoy said.
The dynamic is similar to TV commercials for drugs like Ozempic or Cialis. Instead of receiving advice from a disinterested party, such as their doctor, people are receiving messages from a very interested party – pharmaceutical companies – hoping they will show up at their next medical visit and ask.
A spokeswoman for Hims said in an email that the company’s "fundamental principle" is to "help people solve problems that can be difficult to talk about, but are important to feeling healthy and well." and the platform and customer experience are "designed to help customers overcome the various barriers that come with getting the care and accessing the treatment they need." When asked how doctors are compensated, they said it’s a time-based model that takes into account time spent and "certain performance metrics," not about written prescriptions. This spokesperson confirmed that "the health and well-being of the customers will always be our priority" and confirmed that only if someone receives treatment, they will be customers. A Ro spokeswoman said it was a "misconception" that patients were biased and that 87% were over 30. They said provider decisions do not affect their reimbursements and provided a link to in their operating systems.
DTC telehealth can play a role in helping people get treatment they might not otherwise seek, whether it’s for alcoholism or depression or hair loss, and at least it can help people feel they’re not alone. those with all the problems that afflict them. While I was reporting on this story, a friend of mine told me that he got a hair removal product from Hims after his barber mentioned his boards – to me, that sounds good.
But it’s hard not to understand the financial incentives of these companies and how they can manipulate care. They consistently administer a variety of medications and don’t ask too many questions during the process. The young man listening to hair removal commercials on his favorite podcast isn’t just a patient – he’s a customer.
Emily Stewart is a senior reporter at Business Insider, writing about business and the economy.
#Online #health #care #providers #chasing #young #mens #fears
