Patients are people, not pawns: balancing design, care, and business in healthcare
Healthcare sits at a crossroads: a field founded on service and humanity increasingly finds itself operating under the rules of capitalism. For patients, this creates a frustrating reality—one where they often encounter systems that feel more like obstacles than pathways to care. Yet, for healthcare organizations, there’s another reality: without financial sustainability, their doors close, and they’re not helping anyone.
This tension—between doing what’s right for the patient and keeping the business afloat—is at the heart of healthcare’s modern identity crisis. It’s a challenge I grapple with constantly as a design leader in this space. My ultimate goal is always better patient outcomes, but I’ve also learned that without a sustainable business, even the best intentions are rendered meaningless.
How do we reconcile these forces? How can design play a role in bridging this divide?
The patient perspective: healthcare’s rot economy
From a patient’s vantage point, healthcare often feels like it’s built to frustrate, not empower. Systems that are opaque, tools that are hard to use, and processes that feel indifferent to their needs have led to a widespread erosion of trust.
Consider the typical patient portal: a tool that’s supposed to connect patients to their care but often feels like a maze. Or billing systems that bombard patients with jargon (it’s in English…but is it?) and endless surprise charges. These go far beyond just inefficiencies—they’re pain points that erode confidence in the healthcare system.
Patients deserve better.
They deserve experiences that acknowledge their humanity.
They deserve experiences that build trust with providers and institutions.
They deserve experiences that reduce friction and make it easier to engage with their care.
Patients don’t care how complicated healthcare is. They don’t need excuses for bad design or overly complex processes. What they need is clear, thoughtful, and empathetic systems that respect their time, fears, and health.
The business reality: if the doors close, no one wins
On the other side of the table is the business. Healthcare organizations are not exempt from financial pressures. Many are navigating razor-thin margins, fluctuating reimbursement models, and the relentless demands of scale. Venture-backed startups face an additional layer of scrutiny from investors who demand rapid growth and profitability.
For these businesses, sustainability isn’t only about profit—it’s about survival. Without revenue to keep the lights on, even the most patient-centered mission is dead in the water. And while the phrase “doing well by doing good” sounds inspiring, the reality is more complex. Patient-centric design can take time, resources, and buy-in—things that can feel like luxuries in an industry under constant pressure.
This is not to excuse healthcare organizations for poor patient experiences. But it’s important to recognize the tension: delivering an ideal patient experience while also navigating the realities of a capitalist system.
The design opportunity: bridging the divide
Design is uniquely positioned to bridge this gap. Thoughtful, human-centered design doesn’t just improve patient experiences—it can also drive business outcomes. Here’s how:
Reducing operational inefficiencies
Poorly designed tools and systems aren’t just frustrating for patients; they’re expensive for businesses. Streamlining processes, creating more intuitive interfaces, and reducing error rates can save organizations significant costs while improving patient satisfaction.Building trust (and retention)
Patients who trust their providers and systems are more likely to return, recommend, and engage. This loyalty is invaluable, especially in competitive markets.Scaling empathy through technology
Empathetic design can be scalable. For example, AI-powered chat tools that are thoughtfully designed can handle patient inquiries with warmth and clarity, reducing the strain on human resources (but NOT eliminating them entirely!) while maintaining a positive experience.Aligning metrics with outcomes
Design can help healthcare organizations focus on the right metrics—not just profitability but also patient engagement, satisfaction, and outcomes. When these metrics align, businesses thrive in ways that are sustainable and meaningful.
Examples of balancing both
Some organizations are finding ways to strike this balance. ChenMed, for example, focuses on preventative care for older adults while maintaining financial sustainability through value-based care. By aligning their revenue model with improved patient outcomes, they’ve created a system where doing good also means doing well.
Similarly, Maven Clinic uses scalable technology to provide personalized care for women and families. Their intuitive tools not only improve patient satisfaction but also reduce healthcare costs for their employer clients, proving that better design can benefit everyone in the ecosystem.
These organizations show that it’s possible to design systems that serve patients while also supporting the bottom line. It’s not easy, but it’s achievable.
A call to action
The tension between patient needs and business realities isn’t going away. But it doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game. By investing in thoughtful, patient-centered design, healthcare organizations can create systems that serve both sides of the equation.
It starts with recognizing that patients are not pawns. They’re people—people who deserve care that is empathetic, clear, and accessible. And it continues with understanding that a sustainable business isn’t just about keeping the lights on; it’s about building systems that foster trust, improve outcomes, and ultimately make healthcare better for everyone.
As a design leader, I believe this balance is not only possible but necessary. Because at the end of the day, the ultimate measure of success isn’t the bottom line—it’s the impact on the lives we touch. And when we design with that in mind, we all win.