Delivering a top-quality patient experience is essential for practices and providers today—but healthcare for millennials is very different from previous generations. The rise of healthcare consumerism has completely changed the game. Thanks to newly emerging technologies and seamless digital experiences in other industries, millennial patients now demand the same level of convenience from their healthcare providers.
With healthcare consumer and patient preferences constantly evolving in the digital age, practices are challenged with finding ways to continually meet expectations. Not meeting millennial patients’ needs can be very detrimental for practices, leading to increased patient churn, low patient satisfaction scores, decreased quality performance, and even poor individual health outcomes.
Learn five things millennial patients want from their healthcare experience and how your practice can use technology to meet their expectations.
5 Things Millennial Patients Want from Their Healthcare Experience
1. Convenient Self-Service Tools
Convenience and instantaneous, on-demand access is a must-have for millennial patients. More often than not, millennials seek out healthcare providers that offer access to a patient portal with the ability to:
- Schedule appointments online
- Access records and test results
- Communicate with providers
- Request prescription refills
- Fill out digital intake forms
- Pay medical bills online
In fact, nearly half of millennial patients say they’re much more likely to choose a healthcare provider that offers easy access to electronic health records and test results online. Plus, 40 percent consider the ability to book, change, or cancel appointments online when choosing a provider—and the numbers are very similar for Generation Z.
2. Personalized Care Experiences
Millennial patients are looking for a more tailored experience from healthcare providers that aligns with what they’ve become accustomed to in other industries. For example, companies like Netflix and Amazon offer highly personalized experiences, with recommendations tailored to each individual’s unique habits and preferences.
A one-size-fits-all approach simply doesn’t do it in healthcare today—especially when it comes to younger consumers, who are more diverse than previous generations. Personalized engagement via each patient’s preferred contact method is key for practices looking for ways to empower and activate millennial patients.
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3. Upfront Cost Transparency
More and more millennial patients are looking for cost transparency from healthcare providers—especially with so many retail health clinics posting pricing upfront. According to a recent survey, 85 percent of Americans believe that cutting costs and improving quality by making healthcare prices more transparent should be a priority for lawmakers.
Other new research revealed that millennials were the generation most likely to cite a lack of financial resources as their biggest barrier to accessing proper care. What’s more, COVID-19 brought on financial hardship for many millennials, with nearly a quarter (24 percent) saying they’ve taken on medical debt since the pandemic began. Fortunately, regulatory requirements are shifting to accommodate price transparency in healthcare.
4. High-Quality Digital Experience
As digital natives, it’s no surprise that millennials care about practices’ online experiences. Younger consumers are far likelier than previous generations to choose healthcare providers who offer digital capabilities—and far more likely to jump ship for another provider if theirs doesn’t meet the mark.
Plus, at least 33 percent of millennials prefer virtual care experiences to in-person appointments with providers, and many more are open to the idea following the rapid telehealth acceleration during COVID-19.
5. Involvement in Care Decisions
Millennials want to act as their own advocates, taking a more active role in their medical care. They’re not afraid to do their own research and to challenge healthcare providers’ treatment recommendations.
Accommodating those preferences means not only being transparent about care decisions, but also engaging them in shared decision-making. By involving millennials in their own care plans, practices can increase patient satisfaction, engagement, adherence, and ultimately healthy outcomes.
Healthcare for Millennials: How Technology Can Help Practices Evolve
Nothing is set in stone, millennial preferences will continue evolving with technology, and future generations will also have rapidly changing needs—particularly Generation Z. Healthcare practices and providers will need to keep up with generational trends to meet shifting expectations and achieve success, which is a lot easier said than done.
The right healthcare technology helps practices adapt quickly, especially with a vendor partner like InteliChart that is committed to updating and upgrading their technology as the industry and consumer needs evolve. A patient engagement platform like InteliChart’s Healthy Outcomes offers millennial patients the self-service tools they’re looking for while also delivering convenience, transparency, personalization, and autonomy—with the added bonus of simplifying practice workflows.
Curious about patient engagement technology and how it can help your practice adapt to meet evolving consumer expectations? Get in touch to schedule a demo and learn more about InteliChart’s patient engagement platform.
