Today’s consumers reveal the future of healthcare

Younger consumers are not satisfied with healthcare’s status quo and consumers of all generations are more willing to try non-traditional services.

For instance, Gen Z and millennials are least likely to have a primary care physician (PCP), compared to Gen X, baby boomers and the silent generation. Some younger generations say they would like to have a PCP but have not found one that meets their preferences for affordability and convenience. Gen Z is the most likely generation to seek out wellness practices (e.g. yoga, acupuncture) beyond Western medicine.

Younger consumers—Gen Z and millennials—are the most dissatisfied with the quality of traditional healthcare services. As these younger generations age and have greater healthcare needs, they will increasingly look for services to satisfy their expectations for effectiveness, convenience, efficiency and transparency. With millennials projected to become the largest generation by 2019, this generation holds the most power to influence future healthcare models.

Patients overall show satisfaction with new care models. When thinking about non-traditional healthcare services (emerging types of service delivery—i.e., walk-in or retail clinics, outpatient surgery hospitals, virtual health, on-demand services or digital therapeutics), many patients are “very satisfied” and “extremely satisfied” with the level of transparency, convenience, effectiveness, efficiency and cost of those services.

More than half of patients surveyed expect digital capabilities—and these expectations increasingly influence who patients choose in a provider. For instance, in 2019, 70 percent are more likely to choose a provider that offers reminders for follow-up care via email or text, compared to 57 percent in 2016. More than half (53 percent) in 2019 are more likely to use a provider offering remote or telemonitoring devices, compared to 39 percent in 2016. Younger consumers are likelier than any other generation to choose medical providers who offer digital capabilities, such as easy access to test results via mobile or online and requesting prescription refills electronically.

Non-traditional care delivery services are making rapid inroads. Roughly 29 percent of US respondents say they have used some form of virtual care (an increase from 21 percent in 2017), and walk-in/retail clinics have already gone mainstream (47 percent). Many of those who have not used non-traditional care delivery services would be willing to do so. Patients are even skipping traditional care in favor of non-traditional. For instance, choice of non-traditional healthcare surpasses traditional for cold/virus treatment (65 percent vs. 48 percent), flu shots (62 percent vs. 54 percent) and checking vitals (59 percent vs. 54 percent).

Virtual care has become an appealing channel for consumers with more complex needs. For example, they would seek out routine therapy/mental health (26 percent, compared to 20 percent of other consumers), physical injury treatment (24 percent, compared to 11 percent of other consumers) and sexually transmitted disease screenings/treatment (23 percent compared to 11 percent of other consumers).

How do United States’ survey findings compare to responses from other leading digital health nations? Accenture tested the common factors that influence people’s care choices, understanding that needs and preferences are partly shaped by the realities of different national healthcare systems and demographics.

Watch this SlideShare to:

• Learn the key factors that influence citizens’ care decisions.
• Understand people’s interest in—and actual use of—digital and virtual healthcare services.
• Uncover different generational views on digital health.