The Rise of Healthcare Consumerism & What It Means for Your Practice

These summaries must be electronic so the government can track whether providers are adhering to Meaningful Use Stage 2 guidelines.

For patients, the rise of healthcare consumerism follows decades of frustration with the system. Historically, information about healthcare services and costs has not been available to patients, which has prevented them from making autonomous decisions. Now, consumers are looking for an easier care experience and transparency from providers and insurers—especially when it comes to the cost of care, for which they’re becoming increasingly responsible.

The influx of high-deductible healthcare plans has put patients in the position to make financial decisions about their healthcare and how to most effectively spend their money. In a recent survey by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), 59% of healthcare leaders said they’ve seen an increase in patient payments due to increased high-deductible plans.

Consumers demand convenience, transparency, and autonomy—and without the processes and technology in place to deliver on that, they’re more prone to shop around for a practice that makes the cut. Losing patients to competitors is a real concern for healthcare practices today. The rise of retail health clinics is causing immense competition, making it even easier for consumers to find more convenient, alternative care services when they’re dissatisfied.

Since 2006, retail clinics have grown by 500%. Patients are on board—in fact, 30% have come to rely on retail clinics for their primary care due to how readily available and easily accessible they are to nearly all Americans, regardless of where they’re located. Retail clinics typically have more flexible operating hours than practices as well, often offering same-day, walk-in, evening, weekend, and holiday appointments.

Not only are retail clinics a convenient option, but also an appealing one due to full price-transparency for visits and medications. Price transparency ensures the patient knows ahead of time exactly what their out-of-pocket costs will be. In a time when healthcare costs are ever-rising, this is imperative for consumers.

Lack of awareness:

Although most providers acknowledge the need to take action, some practices are purely clinical and do not consider themselves consumer organizations. A complete lack of awareness about the needs and expectations of modern healthcare consumers is a huge detriment to both practices and patients.

Lack of strategy:

Then there are the healthcare organizations that are aware they need to treat patients as consumers, but don’t know how to do so. Many simply don’t have the right systems in place to meet evolving consumer needs—especially with so many other daily responsibilities.

Lack of technology:

Today, consumerism is directly tied to smart use of technology, both in the healthcare industry and beyond. In some scenarios, providers are aware of what they need to do and have adopted a strategy to make it happen; however, they don’t have the right technology in place to address healthcare consumerism.

1. Adopt a hospitality mindset 

It’s not enough to aim for just satisfied patients—healthcare organizations need to create an optimal consumer experience by developing a service culture with patient-centric workflows. When asked about their consumer-centric priorities, 81% of respondents said that improving the customer experience is high on the list; however, only 11% reported having best-in-class capabilities.

By building a solid foundation with consumers’ needs in mind, providers can meet expectations and retain patients. To do so, think about what common pain points are within existing processes, and see what can be done to alleviate them. For example, what’s your patient registration and intake process like? How long is your average wait time? 20% of patients report that they will switch providers if forced to wait too long.

If waiting room backlogs cause lengthy waits and delays, consider revamping associated processes by digitizing patient intake paperwork to minimize churn. Also, make it a priority to offer multiple care delivery options; virtual care visits should be available for consumers who prefer to go the digital route and/or those who are located in rural areas that are far away from a provider.Understanding Clinical Workflows

2. Take an informed, strategic approach.

Another important thing to keep in mind when addressing healthcare consumerism is to always make informed decisions using consumer insights derived from satisfaction surveys and patient-reported outcomes (PROs). Using insights to guide strategic planning will allow you to make changes based on what’s important to your patient populations, as it’s different for every specialty.

Generally speaking, your healthcare consumerism strategy should be focused on convenience, accessibility, ease, and cost. Consider what the patient experience is like at your organization currently: Do you make it easy for them to schedule appointments? To access care with ease? To review their own health data?

While most practices are only open during business hours, retail clinics or telehealth services are often available at more convenient times, such as after-hours and on weekends. This is especially important for certain specialties. For example, providers in pediatrics should consider offering more convenient hours to accommodate parents who would otherwise need to take off work.