Despite the significant upheaval in the retail health care sector over the past year, consumers still have plenty of choices for accessing care.
And as the recently released AHA 2025 Environmental Scan points out, convenience in accessing care and affordability are primary drivers in consumers’ decision-making processes.
The AHA Environmental Scan contains data, surveys, trends, thought leadership and educational resources, illustrating some of the top issues facing the field, including workforce, financial stability, care delivery transformation and greater value. This scan can help leaders plan for the future of their organizations and consider ways the field can move forward together.
In assessing factors that drive consumers to change providers or select a new provider, an Accenture survey from earlier this year highlighted the following:
It’s worth noting that in navigational challenges cited by consumers, factors such as difficulty in doing business with the provider, bad experiences with the front desk or administrative staff, and problems with digital/online service and support solutions all weighed heavily in patients’ decisions to change providers.
Within the environmental scan, Lee Schwamm, M.D., senior vice president and chief digital health officer at Yale New Haven Health, offers three tips for creating an ideal digital state for consumers:
So, what do patients want from their overall digital health experiences and applications from providers? A report from Gozio Health this year found the following:
The rising cost of health insurance is another factor impacting consumers. Nearly one-third of consumers cited affordability as the most important factor in their health care experiences, noted a report this year from Huron Consulting.
Meanwhile, worries about being able to afford care and health insurance premiums are impacting a large percentage of the population, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation report from this past spring. That report found the following:
Download the AHA 2025 Environmental Scan for a more complete look at the issues impacting the health care landscape.
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