Dive Brief:
- As consumers grow to be more dependent on their personal tech, they are beginning to want their physicians' offices to start using digital tools that match how other businesses interact with them digitally, according to a new survey by TechnologyAdvice.
- In terms of patient expectations and experience, the group divined three key trends from their consumer responses. Patients look for digital services like online bill pay and appointment scheduling when choosing doctors; a majority of patients value follow-ups after appointments; and only a small number of patients believe that their current physicians offer the digital services they identify as important.
- The findings noted that 68.6% of respondents said it was "somewhat important" or "very important" for a physician to follow up with them after an appointment, though not regarding payment. However, only 30% of respondents reported that their physician did follow up after appointments. Also, only 19.7% and 17.7% of patients said their physician offered online appointment scheduling or bill pay features, respectively. Finally 60.8% of patients said services including online appointment scheduling and bill pay were "important" or "somewhat important" when choosing a physician.
Dive Insight:
As people use their smartphones to do everything from pay for their coffee at Starbucks, buy movie tickets and figure out just where they are when they get lost on the road, they are starting to get frustrated that their doctors can't seem to catch up with the rest of the business world. Online bill pay and digital appointment-booking are the two elements patients singled out, but what patients really want is end-to-end convenience.
Yes, security and data protocols are far more complex for healthcare practitioners than for the local movie theater, but as the rest of the world moves with lightning speed into the digital age, patients are becoming frustrated that their healthcare providers are still stuck in what looks to them like the 1950s.
As industry leaders and associations do their best to grapple with regulatory issues, it would be helpful if IT vendors and regulators made it easier to put comprehensive digital office functions in place. It won't be long before patients turn elsewhere for care if a practice doesn't integrate well with their digital lifestyle.