A new report from Redpoint Global brings a dose of reality regarding healthcare expectations. Consumers have more options than ever, which means providers and insurers must pay closer attention to their evolving wants and needs.

The survey conducted by Dynata reveals a significant gap between the experiences consumers desire and what providers actually deliver. Let’s look at three key trends from the report, plus how the experts say you should respond.

1: Healthcare consumers prioritize experience.

Among respondents, 81% said a good patient experience is “very important” when interacting with healthcare providers. However, they don’t just value a good experience — it’s actually driving their selection criteria.

When asked the top reasons why they would switch providers or healthcare plans, respondents ranked a poor experience the highest (41%). And 38% said they would switch based on a lack of personalization and patient understanding.

2: Personalization and communication stand out.

What does “experience” really mean in the eyes of the healthcare consumer? The report breaks down those nuances as well.

Over half (57%) claimed an important factor was how well the provider understands you as a patient and creates a personalized experience. And 64% said an important factor when choosing a healthcare provider is the provider’s ability to communicate in a timely manner.

This is where the gap widens between expectation and reality. Consider that:

  • More than 90% of patients say that it is either “important” or “very important” to receive relevant communications from their provider and healthcare plan that accurately reflect where they are in their healthcare journey.
  • Yet just half (50%) of patients say they are very satisfied with the relevance of the communication they receive.

In an age where consumers have many choices—from clinics and hospitals to telehealth and private practice—it’s more critical than ever to close this gap.

3: Consumers expect a seamless healthcare journey.

The driving force behind higher expectations is the healthcare consumerism trend. Patients are accustomed to frictionless experiences in other industries, like retail. So, they expect the same from healthcare.

According to Andrei Zimiles, senior vice president at Press Ganey, “Providers are no longer the gatekeepers of access to care. The internet is democratizing the power of the patient and really putting them in the driver’s seat of their health.”

Healthcare consumers use digital tools to compare providers, place orders, read online reviews, gain pricing transparency, self-schedule, and more. As they move through each touchpoint, they expect all providers and insurers to utilize the same consolidated view of their care.

How can you create that consolidated patient view?

According to John Nash, chief marketing officer, and strategy officer for Redpoint:

“The patient’s expectation for their healthcare experience has fundamentally shifted in recent years. Communication and personalization matter much more — particularly as consumers engage with multiple channels across their healthcare journey.

“Having a golden record for each consumer—that includes all data that is knowable about them—is foundational to delivering timely, high-quality and relevant experiences.”

Unfortunately, achieving this customer golden record is particularly challenging in healthcare. A lack of data standardization and interoperability makes it difficult to compile a consistent, real-time view of a consumer in the context of their individual health journey.

Thankfully, data transformation can solve these challenges.

Amplifi understands the unique challenges of healthcare, as does Redpoint Global. As partners, we design and deliver data programs tailored for providers, payers, and other healthcare organizations.

For example, this video shows how Redpoint’s customer data platform—rgOne—combines a consolidated patient view with a single point of operational control. The rgOne platform helps you deliver the personalized engagement and relevant communication that healthcare consumers desire.

See all the data for yourself.

Check out the full report from Redpoint Global yourself and see how consumer expectations have continued to evolve in the healthcare space. We at Amplifi can help you work through your data and make it more accessible and better suited for servicing your subscribers, patients, etc. better.