Millennials’ Expectation of Digital Healthcare Transformation
March 31, 2020There are approximately 75 million millennials in the United States, which is nearly one-fourth of the population. Millennials are people typically born from 1982 through 2000. They are the children and grandchildren of the baby boomers, but the world that millennials live in is greatly changed from that of their parents. Millennials grew up in the Information Age. They are young adults like me, who never really knew a time when there was not a computer at home, or when you could not go online to find out about almost anything.
In order to stay competitive, providers must understand the needs and habits of this very large group. John Lynch & Associates specializes in helping organizations adapt to a fast-changing, twenty-first century world, and the transformation of the traditional care delivery model.
Feeling Responsible for Their Care
A Kaiser Family Foundation survey found 45% of 18-29-year-olds do not have a primary care physician (PCP), nor do 38% of 35-49-year-olds. By comparison, just 15% of older generations do not have a PCP. This is evidence of a huge generational shift. Younger patient’s top priorities are convenience, availability of appointments, and speed of delivery over developing a relationship with a PCP.
As a result, millennials’ desire for speedy service and on-demand availability is spurring a departure from the standard PCP office visit. Healthcare offered at retail walk-in clinics with same day availability are preferred by 33% of millennial patients. Retail walk-in clinics are convenient, there is no waiting for an appointment, and the patient can get in and out with a prescription. This is just one example of how millennials expect the traditional care delivery model will change.
In addition, millennials want to know up front how much any service will cost, and that information is readily available from a retail walk-in clinic. They are twice as likely as boomers to ask for cost estimates upfront and often shop around before selecting a provider. They are also more likely forego care if they deem it too expensive. Capturing millennials as regular, long-term patients means speed of delivery, more available appointments, and offering transparent pricing allowing them to feel that they are responsible for, and in control of, their medical care.
Research Your Patient Base to Understand Their Needs for Healthcare Delivery
If you want millennials to make an appointment to come to your office instead of dropping in at the nearest retail walk-in clinic, your online presence must provide them with everything they are looking for. Nearly 50% of millennials and Gen-Xers use online reviews to select care providers, compared to 40% of baby boomers and 28% of seniors.
In the past, baby boomers used word-of-mouth among family and friends to make decisions about choosing their provider. Today, online reviews use the same concept, though admittedly with much greater scope. The internet has reviews from not only friends and family members, but anyone who has ever received care from that organization. Available, convenient, and transparent.
Your website is your unique internet page, where your services, location, and hours must be easily found. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter especially appeal to this larger generation. Advantages include keeping patients informed, providing accurate organizational information, and convenience. Therefore, your organization’s online presence must give millennials the perspective of availability, convenience, and transparency they are looking for.
Digital Patient Engagement
Another change driven by millennials has less to do with their perception of the healthcare ecosystem and more to do with their birthright as digital natives. Online access to medical records, appointment scheduling, reminders, and integrating telehealth into a simplified doctor/patient communication path are all essential to meeting millennial expectations.
Exploring the use of digital apps that go beyond the basics of access to appointments and records is an essential step toward meeting these expectations. Sixty percent of millennials want an option for a virtual visit versus an in-person appointment, and two-thirds prefer post-care follow up by text or email, or even via chatbots. John Lynch & Associates provides options for HIPAA-compliant video platforms that will provide your organization with the highest provider convenience and highest patient engagement, along with the lowest cost of implementation. Our platforms will give your organization the competitive edge it needs to win over any millennial-age patient through its ease of use and 24/7 availability while satisfying ease of use for your providers.
To achieve organizational and operational effectiveness in the eyes of millennials, your organization must provide services that are convenient, available, and transparent. Your online presence must appeal to millennials by collecting patient satisfaction information through online reviews, websites, and social media platforms. Scheduling appointments, sending appointment reminders, accessing medical records, and providing telehealth visits through digital avenues will meet the expectations of millennials.
Contact John Lynch & Associates today so we can assist you with improving your online presence, overall patient satisfaction, and to launch telehealth for your organization.
