Updated from July 31, 2023
What do today’s healthcare consumers want? What trends factor into their decision-making process? We’re here to present the latest healthcare consumerism trends and help you reach new patients.
The healthcare landscape has become more patient-centric than ever, prioritizing consumers’ experiences and individual needs. Patients now expect their interactions with health systems to be fast, convenient, and preferably digital. They also expect effective, personalized treatment options that won’t break the bank. So how do you attract these selective healthcare consumers? What qualities and offerings are they searching for as they research health systems?
Keep in mind these five healthcare consumerism trends to attract new patients and outmaneuver your competition.
1. Patients expect personalization
Today’s consumers prioritize a personalized healthcare experience, making targeting crucial for digital advertising in the healthcare industry. Research from McKinsey highlights that 71% of consumers expect companies to deliver personalized interactions, and 76% get frustrated when this doesn’t happen. This expectation applies equally to healthcare, where out-of-context, depersonalized digital ads are bound to miss the mark.
Imagine a healthcare consumer seeing trailing banner ads for a podiatrist’s practice while searching for condition information on angina. Even though the ads reach a potential patient while health is on their mind, they’re for an irrelevant service. This mismatch not only fails to lead to a conversion but might also annoy the prospect. Instead, to attract patients and foster trust in your health system, it’s essential to be intentional with your healthcare advertising. Place ads alongside relevant content to intersect patients as they search for topics associated with your service lines.
To achieve this level of precision, consider leveraging solutions like Healthgrades Brand Solutions. Instead of spending money to reach all consumers, invest in those who meet your service line and profitability goals through targeted awareness campaigns. This approach uses data-driven insights to identify and engage the consumers most likely to need your healthcare services and the near future. With this strategy, every dollar spent is more likely to generate a higher return on investment by reaching qualified audiences.
2. Digital front doors are here to stay as patients seek convenience
Consumerism in healthcare revolves around convenience, and digital tools are fueling patient engagement like never before. Over 70% of patients use Google search before scheduling an appointment. Meanwhile, 60% use digital scheduling to book appointments, and 94% of patients are willing to switch to a new practice that offers this convenience.
A digital front door is not only a tool for patient acquisition—it’s also a glimpse into what your health system can offer. Build a robust online portal through which patients can interact with your hospital in an easy and personalized way, and remember that a digital front door doesn’t only live on your site. A third-party page like Healthgrades can direct more patients through your health system’s digital front door by improving your hospital’s discoverability, linking directly to your scheduling portal, and more.
To further enhance your digital front door, Healthgrades and Medchat•ai have partnered to introduce Automation Solutions for Health Systems and Practices—a new way to automate manual tasks, simplify workflows, streamline patient interactions, and more. Using revolutionary generative AI and sophisticated language models, our customizable HIPAA- and SOC 2-compliant platform offloads the administrative work of your organization’s employees so they can focus on delivering more value to each patient’s experience. From triaging to co-pay assistance to physician support, our Automation Solutions take your organization’s productivity to the next level and ensure a more efficient and patient-centric digital front door experience.
3. Synchronous and asynchronous remote care are the new norm
Remote care, encompassing both synchronous and asynchronous methods, has become the preferred method of care for many healthcare consumers. Research from McKinsey shows that 55% of patients are more satisfied with telehealth than in-person care, and 63% are interested in more digital health solutions.
Telehealth services present an accessible way for patients to contact their doctors without visiting their offices. These convenient care options are also a better financial deal for patients who would otherwise turn to urgent care facilities for issues like a rash, seasonal flu, or urinary tract infection. Areas such as pediatric care, dermatology, ophthalmology, and dentistry have shown to benefit significantly from this method of remote care, with follow-up appointments also shifting to a virtual environment. Telehealth keeps patients accountable to their care plan by making it easier to connect with doctors when needed—without long lines or wait times.
Asynchronous care, where doctor-patient interactions are not conducted in real-time, offers the flexibility and autonomy many consumers want. For example, asynchronous care allows health systems to provide on-demand services like online medication refill requests and remote health monitoring so patients don’t have to carve time out of their day to see a doctor. In fact, a Healthgrades study1 found that 82% of doctors surveyed already offer asynchronous care, and 65% of consumers have participated in this convenient care method.
Now is the time to bolster your telehealth and asynchronous care options, ensuring simple and straightforward ways for patients to make appointments and access services online. Integrating these remote care methods allows your health system or practice to offer a comprehensive digital health solution that meets modern consumer expectations.
4. Patients take a more proactive approach to health
During the coronavirus pandemic, many consumers realized the importance of preventive care and started practicing healthier habits while at home. And with consumers feeling more confident about returning to hospitals and doctor’s offices, they continue to carry that proactive attitude forward.
Almost two-thirds of consumers have become more concerned about their health and wellness since the pandemic, and over 50% of consumers report that they are researching health conditions online more now than before the pandemic. In addition, two in five U.S. adults are tracking their health through health apps. Such apps and wearable devices allow for constant monitoring of health data like blood pressure, sleep effectiveness, stress management, and more to offer a more convenient and personalized consumer experience.
While you can consider adding digestible educational content to your website or posting wellness tips on social media to appeal to the proactive healthcare consumer, it’s also essential not to underestimate the value of in-person visits. Patients still want to feel supported and understood when addressing health problems with a physician, and how they feel before, during, and after an appointment can mean the difference between life-changing care and poor life outcomes.
To further support proactive health management, emphasize your hospital’s commitment to mental health and wellness. Try hosting webinars that discuss important issues like depression, anxiety, and burnout. Additionally, distributing more mental health surveys or encouraging doctors and nurses to pause appointments to ask patients how they’re doing can make a significant impact. These initiatives not only show your dedication to comprehensive care but also help patients feel more supported in their overall health journey.
5. The need for price transparency rises
Finally, price transparency remains a significant concern for patients, who bear more financial responsibility for treatments and doctor visits as out-of-pocket costs increase. According to a recent KFF polling, about half of U.S. adults say it is difficult to afford healthcare costs. This financial strain is particularly pronounced among younger adults, those with lower incomes, adults in fair or poor health, and the uninsured. Notably, 61% of uninsured adults say they went without needed care because of the cost. Additionally, about one in five adults have not filled a prescription because of the cost, and a similar share has opted for over-the-counter alternatives.
While financial concerns are a common barrier among all patients, women, in particular, are the most impacted, with 1 in 3 women recently delaying or avoiding preventive care due to not being able to afford healthcare comfortably.
As a marketer, you can guide patients to affordable, high-quality healthcare by providing the resources they need to make well-informed decisions. Price transparency laws are in effect, and marketers can follow suit by embedding service prices into campaigns.
The bottom line is that healthcare consumers are researching healthcare costs before settling on a doctor, so being transparent about your prices will garner positive patient recognition.
Partnering with Healthgrades can help you keep up
Meeting high-value, low-funnel patients during their healthcare journey matters most for conversions. How do you find them? Every year, half of all U.S. healthcare consumers who see a doctor visit healthgrades.com, making us the #1 platform for connecting patients with physicians. Of visitors who search for a doctor, two-thirds schedule appointments within a week.
Healthgrades improves your health system’s visibility and presence while offering an array of digital avenues for consumers to interact with your brand. Our Health System Advertising Solutions offer:
- Increased visibility: Prominent branding and calls to action on healthgrades.com and our partner sites Sharecare, Healthline, and Medical News Today.
- Competitive intercept: Promote your brand and present your medical staff as alternative options directly on your competitors’ profiles.
- Better relevancy in search results. We complement your SEO and SEM strategies to maximize your relevance in search results and provide qualified leads.
Brand Solutions
Elevate your health system’s brand and reach a highly targeted audience with Healthgrades Brand Solutions. Our customized media plans align with your marketing strategy and leverage Healthgrades Audience Intelligence to identify the consumers most likely to make appointments soon. Maximize your branding investment through PatientConnect’s hyper-targeted display advertising on healthgrades.com and PatienTarget’s strategic omnichannel advertising across web, video, connected TV, and audio platforms.
Automation Solutions
Our Automation Solutions for Health Systems and Practices empower patient conversion and facilitate the patient journey within your health system. Deliver seamless patient communications while streamlining workflow processes with a fully customizable and scalable AI-powered solution. We use Medchat•ai technology to automate manual tasks across all facets of the care continuum, from common call topics and scheduling triage to specialty pharmacy enrollment and care management.
By overcoming organizational bottlenecks, our unique platform frees your team to focus on patient care and fosters patient retention and satisfaction. Get in touch with Healthgrades to learn more about how we can help you adjust your marketing strategy to meet current consumerism trends in healthcare.
1. Physicians and Consumers Asynchronous Care + AI Survey, July – August 2023
