What is
Get Well Soon?
Get Well Soon is a revolution in the way private healthcare is presented to consumers. For the first time, anyone seeking private treatment for any of the most common elective procedures will be able to compare prices at different hospitals, side by side.
Incredible though it is that such a thing doesn’t already exist, we aim to be the Hotels.com of private surgery.
Unlike other price comparison sites however, GWS does not take fees from providers, instead it takes a fixed feel from each procedure. As a result there is no incentive to favour one provider over another, we are truly agnostic, patients choose the right doctor and provider for them.
Get Well Soon will offer real choice, allowing prospective patients to not only compare prices but also book an appointment at any one of the major hospital groups.
Healthcare
Uncomplicated
Talking to prospective customers, we quickly realised that they had three major concerns:
- Price – including unexpected extra costs
- Surgeon quality
- Choice – of surgeon, of hospital & of time to be seen
We also realised that we were in a unique position to provide this service – independent of the hospital groups, trusted by the doctors, skilled in online and offline marketing and with enough health sector expertise to make it work…
Our fees explained
Initial consultation
Every patient before undergoing surgery must have an initial consultation. The consultant will use any notes or imaging that may have already been done – the consultation lasts 20 – 30 minutes.
GWS surgical fee
Each procedure has a different fee tariff for both clinicians and GWS. GWS takes a fixed fee (not a percentageof the total) – there is no incentive for us to recommend one provider or doctor over another. The fee changes according to the procedure.
Hospital fee
The hospital fee is paid to the hospital and covers the costs of the operating theatre, hospital staff and, where appropriate, physiotherapy, wound dressing etc. Ongoing medication, if required, may carry an additional charge.
Elective Surgery Waiting Lists in England
Cardiology 417,312 |
Dermatology 435,109 |
Ear, Nose & Throat 658,437 |
Gastroenterology 390,738 |
Gen Surgery 423,728 |
Gynaecology 595,985 |
Ophthalmology 610,276 |
Trauma/Orthopaedics 840,043 |
Urology 414,177 |
Other 2,837,144 |
Market
Opportunity
The waiting list problem is serious, more than 337,000 of these patients have been waiting more than a year.
Regardless of the outcome of the next election, this is not an issue that will be resolved quickly or easily.
The take-up of private medical insurance is increasing but will not resolve pre-existing conditions and is expected to become much more expensive in the coming years.
There has been a shift in attitude too with more people than ever before willing to consider private healthcare when faced with long waits for treatment.
Our procedures
Get Well Soon specialises in elective surgery which is typically low-risk day-case procedures where the patient
goes home the same day.
Elective surgery typically has some of the longest wait times in the NHS. Although these conditions are not life- threatening, they can be life-limiting – Get Well Soon aims to restore people to health as soon as possible.
The 19 conditions we are launching with represent almost 52% of all revenue in the private sector. As we expand we will also increase the number of procedures we offer.
Target audience
Our target customer is, initially, older, more affluent people looking for adventure before dementia and with sufficient savings to be willing to invest in improving their health. It should come as no surprise to find this is by far the largest group “going private”.
Perhaps more surprisingly, the young (18-34) are the most willing to fund their own treatment (29% against 23% of the population as a whole).
We will be also be running a marketing campaign to encourage the self-employed to consider private treatment in order to return to work more quickly.
Technology
Get Well Soon operates as a platform business through its web-app. Functionality at launch will allow patients to not just see the availability of consultants in all the main hospital groups but also book an initial consultation and pay for their treatment without leaving the site. The only place where they can currently do that.
Our sophisticated back-end allows us to manage website content as well as automate patient management, improving the overall experience for self-pay patients.
In phase 2 and 3 our platform will also connect our customers with other health and wellness providers, pharmaceuticals by post, physiotherapy services, private GP services, limited liability health insurance etc etc.
Marketing and brand recognition
We have first mover advantage with a strong brand name that describes the product in an immediately recognisable & familiar way.
GWS will be running a largely digital first activation campaign in the first six months as we work towards refining the customer funnel and optimising the cost per acquisition.
In the next phase we will introduce brand marketing, including radio and TV campaigns to cement Get Well Soon in the minds of our potential customers.