Connecting people to the right care is a critical first step in the complex patient access journey. To better understand how healthcare organizations can evolve their patient access strategies to meet consumer needs, Kyruus has surveyed consumers for the last six years to understand their preferences when it comes to searching for, selecting, and accessing care.
In today’s blog we break down some of the key findings within each of these categories along with advice on how healthcare organizations can take action to meet these consumer preferences.
Search
With over 60% of consumers searching for care online it is more important than ever to ensure that you are accurately representing all that your network has to offer. While healthcare organizations are still the most trustworthy source of information (44%) other sites are becoming increasingly more popular for consumers performing research.
TIP:Â Consider extending your reach and capturing attention more broadly by offering access to accurate information and online scheduling capabilities in some of these additional channels such as search engines, health plan directories, and other third-party sites. Doing so will ensure consumers have a unified experience regardless of where they search for care.
Selection
The factors that matter most to consumers while selecting care have remained consistent over the last several years, with a clear prioritization around cost, quality, and convenience.
TIP: Give consumers access to the information they need in order to make a care decision that aligns with the factors that matter most to them. Incorporating things like reviews, clinical expertise, and appointment availability into provider profiles will help increase conversion rates. With 68% of consumers saying they’d be more likely to schedule care with a certain provider if they were given access to cost information up front, finding ways to integrate this into the consumer search experience will be key to acquiring and retaining patients in the coming years.
Action
This year’s report showed a clear preference for self-service capabilities, and not only in the form of online appointment booking. Consumers have outlined a strong desire to perform other healthcare related tasks online as well, with 93% showing interest.
TIP:Â Organizations should consider what other pre-visit tasks that they may be able to offer in the form of self-service to not only meet this consumer preference but to also help free up valuable staff time by allowing consumers to complete check-in processes on their own time.
Want to learn more about how Kyruus is helping organizations connect people to the right care? Connect with our team at ViVE!
