What are the healthcare needs of today’s consumers? What factors influence their decision-making? We are here to help you reach out to new patients and present the latest trends in healthcare consumption.
Healthcare has never been more consumer-centric, putting the needs of consumers and their experiences first. Patients expect fast, convenient, and digital interactions with healthcare systems. Patients also want personalized, effective treatment options at a reasonable price. How can you appeal to these discerning healthcare consumers? What are the qualities and services they look for when they search for healthcare systems?
These five trends in healthcare consumerism will help you attract new patients, and to outmaneuver the competition.
Patients Expect Personalized Service
Targeting is crucial in digital advertising for the healthcare industry. Today’s customers prioritize a personalized experience. The same expectation is true for healthcare where depersonalized, out-of-context digital ads will fail to reach the target.
Imagine a consumer of healthcare seeing trailing banners for a podiatrist’s practice when searching for information about angina. The ads are for an irrelevant service, even though they reach potential patients when health is top of mind. The mismatch may not only fail to convert but also frustrate the prospect. To attract patients and build trust in your healthcare system, you must be deliberate with your advertising. Ads should be placed alongside relevant content so that patients can find your services when they are searching for related topics.
Consider leveraging solutions such as Healthgrades Brand Solution to achieve this level of precision. Instead of spending money on reaching all consumers, focus your attention on those who will help you achieve your profitability and service line goals. This method uses data-driven insights to identify and engage consumers who are most likely to require your healthcare services soon. This strategy will increase the return on investment for every dollar spent by targeting qualified audiences.
Patients are Increasingly Looking for Convenience, so Digital Front Doors will Continue to be Popular
Digital tools have never been more important in fostering patient engagement. Google is used by 70% of patients to schedule an appointment. 60 percent of patients use digital booking to schedule appointments. And 94% are willing to switch practices that offer this convenience.
A digital front door is more than just a tool to acquire patients. It’s a window into the services and products your health system has to offer. Create a user-friendly online portal that allows patients to interact with your hospital easily and in a personalized manner. Remember, a digital door is not just on your website. Third-party pages like Healthgrades, which improve your hospital’s discoverability and link directly to your booking portal, can help direct more patients toward your digital front door.
Healthgrades and Medchat*ai, in partnership, have introduced Automation Solutions for Health Systems and Practices. This new solution automates manual tasks, simplifies workflows, streamlines patient interactions, and more. Our HIPAA and SOC 2-compliant platform, which is customizable, uses generative AI to automate administrative tasks and language models. This allows your employees to focus more on the patient experience. Our Automation Solutions, which include co-pay assistance and physician support as well as triaging and other tasks, will increase your organization’s efficiency and provide a better digital front-door experience for patients.
Remote Care that is both Synchronous and Asynchronous has Become the Norm
Many healthcare consumers prefer remote care. This includes both synchronous and non-synchronous methods.
Telehealth services allow patients to communicate with their doctors without having to visit their offices. Patients who might otherwise seek urgent care for a rash or a urinary tract infection, for example, can save money by using these convenient options. This method of remote treatment has shown to be beneficial in areas such as pediatrics, dermatology, and ophthalmology. Follow-up appointments are also being held virtually. Telehealth helps patients stay on track with their care plans because it makes it easier to contact doctors whenever needed, without long lines or waiting times.
Asynchronous care is a form of healthcare that does not involve real-time interactions between doctors and patients. This allows for the autonomy and flexibility many consumers desire. Asynchronous care, for example, allows health systems to provide on-demand services such as online medication refill requests or remote health monitoring to patients so they don’t need to take time out of their busy schedules to visit a doctor. A Healthgrades study 1 revealed that 82% percent of the doctors surveyed offer asynchronous services, while 65% of consumers are already using this convenient method of care.
It is time to enhance your telehealth options and asynchronous services and ensure that patients can easily access online services and make appointments. By integrating these remote care methods, your practice or health system can offer a digital health solution to meet modern consumer expectations.
Related:Â Why Is Advice Machinery Crucial in Healthcare?
Patients are more Proactive in their Approach to Health
Many consumers began to practice healthier habits at home after the coronavirus outbreak. As consumers feel more comfortable returning to doctors’ offices and hospitals, they are continuing to adopt a proactive approach.
Nearly two-thirds (67%) of consumers are more concerned with their health and well-being since the pandemic. Over 50% of consumers say they research health conditions more online now than before. Two in five U.S. adult consumers track their health using health apps. These apps and wearables allow consumers to monitor their health data, such as blood pressure, stress levels, sleep quality, and other factors.
You can add digestible educational content on your website, or post wellness tips on social networks to attract the proactive healthcare consumer. However, you should not underestimate the importance of personal visits. When discussing health issues with a doctor, patients still want to be supported and understood. How they feel before, after, and during an appointment can make the difference between a life-changing experience and mediocre outcomes.
To support proactive health management further, highlight your hospital’s commitment to mental health and wellbeing. Consider hosting webinars to discuss important topics like depression, burnout, and anxiety. You can also make a big impact by encouraging doctors and nurses not to rush through appointments, but to take a few minutes to ask their patients how they are doing. These initiatives show that you are committed to providing comprehensive care, but they also make patients feel supported on their health journey.
Price Transparency is Becoming More Important
Price transparency is a major concern for patients who are increasingly responsible for their own treatment and doctor visits. A recent KFF survey found that about half of U.S. adult respondents find it difficult to pay for healthcare. Financial strains are more pronounced in younger adults, people with lower incomes, and adults who have fair to poor health. Uninsured adults, in particular, say that 61% have avoided needed medical care due to the cost. About one-fifth of adults have not filled a medication prescription due to the cost. A similar percentage have opted for non-prescription alternatives.
Financial concerns are a barrier that affects all patients. However, women are most affected. 1 in 3 women delay or avoid preventive care because they cannot afford it.
Marketers can help patients make informed decisions about healthcare and get it at an affordable price. Marketers can emulate the price transparency laws by including service prices in their campaigns.
The bottom line, healthcare consumers research healthcare costs before choosing a doctor. Being transparent about your pricing will earn you positive patient feedback.
Healthgrades is a Great Partner to help you Stay on Top of your Health
Conversions are most likely to occur when you meet high-value patients who fall into the low funnel during their journey. How do you find these patients? We connect half of the U.S. healthcare consumer population who visit a doctor every year. Two-thirds of visitors who look for doctors make an appointment within a week.
Healthgrades offers a variety of digital channels for consumers to interact and engage with your brand. Our Health System Advertising Solutions include:
- Improved visibility: Strong branding and calls to action on our partner sites Sharecare Healthline and Medical News Today.
- Competitor intercept: Promote your brand by presenting your medical staff directly on the profiles of your competitors.
- Improved relevancy of search results: We can enhance your SEO and SEM strategy to increase your relevancy in search results.
Brand Solutions
Our Automation Solutions for Health Systems and Practices facilitate patient conversion and the journey within your healthcare system. A fully customizable and scalable AI solution will streamline workflows while delivering seamless patient communication. Medchat*ai automates manual tasks in all aspects of the care continuum. From common call topics to scheduling triage, specialty pharmacy enrollment to care management.
Our unique platform allows your team to focus more on patient care, resulting in increased patient satisfaction and retention. Contact Healthgrades today to find out how we can adjust your marketing strategies to match current consumer trends in healthcare.
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