The overwhelming majority (85%) of healthcare patients are highly satisfied with their experiences, but those who didn’t know how much their care would cost them ahead of their appointments were less satisfied than other patients, according to PYMNTS research for a new report.
“Accessing Healthcare: Easing Digital Frictions In The Patient Journey,” a PYMNTS and Experian Health collaboration, showed that 15% of patients have challenges obtaining accurate cost estimates for appointments and procedures.
That lack of information drops patients’ satisfaction level to 78% with their family doctors, compared to 88% satisfaction among patients who go into their medical appointments knowing exactly how much that day’s tests or procedures will cost them.
The PYMNTS study examines the increase in consumer use of digital channels, such as online portals, to engage with healthcare providers. It also offers insights into how consumers access healthcare services using digital methods, their most significant pain points and how healthcare providers can address these gaps to improve patient care and satisfaction.
Almost one-third (31%) of patients said they use digital methods to find and pick their healthcare providers, according to PYMNTS research, which noted that one in 10 patients find their healthcare providers using online reviews or searches.
Nearly one in every five respondents (18%) told PYMNTS and Experian Health that they have had trouble finding and picking the specific healthcare professionals they need to meet their particular medical needs.
As one might expect with most medical care going virtual in the two-plus years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, digital-first healthcare patients have set lofty goals for their medical professionals when it comes to providing convenience and ease of use across all digital channels.
It’s also probably no surprise that digital-first patients face more challenges than non-digital patients on average in accessing the capabilities they need. More than one out of every five (21%) digital-first users must overcome the challenges of getting cost estimates before appointments, compared to 2% of non-digital patients facing the same issues.
“One possible reason for this difference is that digital-first patients tend to use new providers more often than non-digital patients,” according to the PYMNTS study.
More than three out of five (62%) of digital-first patients used new providers for their most recent visits in the past year, compared to less than half (48%) of non-digital patients. Our research also showed that digital-first patients are more likely to perform research on new providers using digital methods than non-digital patients.
About one in 10 (8%) digital-first patients do online searches and 7% use online reviews, compared to 3% and zero, respectively, for non-digital patients.
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