Digital Healthcare Goes Omnichannel With 118 Million US Consumers

Each month in 2022, an average of 100 million consumers attended telehealth appointments, while 118 million consumers logged online to schedule more appointments, check test results and make healthcare payments. And that is only the beginning.

“How Digital Has Changed The Consumer Healthcare Experience And Expectations,” a PYMNTS and CareCredit collaboration, delves into how an expanding array of digital healthcare options have reshaped the way consumers obtained healthcare in 2022 — and what healthcare providers need to succeed in the increasingly omnichannel healthcare space.

Key findings from our research include the following:

• The $1.1 trillion healthcare industry has moved to a hybrid but digital-first model. Fifty percent of consumers engaged with healthcare providers by using a mix of digital and physical channels.

• Digital options have expanded healthcare services access to the 73 million consumers who do not have the time or money to see a doctor in person. Digital healthcare options were most popular among financially struggling consumers drawn to lower costs and more flexible solutions.

• Healthcare’s fastest growing patient cohort — 80 million millennials and members of Generation Z — use digital wallets and buy now, pay later options to pay healthcare providers. These consumers use digital payment methods such as digital wallets to pay their healthcare bills 70% more than other consumers.

These are only three of the key insights PYMNTS uncovered through the course of the year. “How Digital Has Changed The Consumer Healthcare Experience And Expectations” provides actionable insights into how providers can adjust their offerings to deliver on patients’ increasingly omnichannel, digital-first expectations.

To learn more about how digital healthcare options is reshaping consumers relationships with their healthcare providers, download the report.