Tag: consumerism
Patient responsibility for their cost of care is rising dramatically. By 2025, it’s estimated that 20 percent of all consumer earnings will go to healthcare costs. As such, consumers are increasingly wrestling with how to navigate the healthcare journey, and providers are seeking ways to provide more transparency around costs. To dig deeper into these shifts, Experian Health conducted a study to assess the patient healthcare journey. A summary of findings were released in an all-new paper, Embracing consumerism: Driving customer engagement in the healthcare financial journey. We interviewed Kristen Simmons, Experian Health senior vice president of strategy and innovation, to learn more about the study. What prompted you to conduct this study on the “jobs” associated with the consumer health journey? In speaking with our clients and top thought leaders in the healthcare space, we are naturally aware that our industry is ripe for change. Consumers expect a more seamless, transparent healthcare journey – from start to finish – but we wanted to dig in and understand more specifically how they view each dimension of the process. What “jobs” must they tackle on their quest to getting the healthcare they need? What’s working, and where are they experiencing pain in the process? We wanted to hear directly from consumers to understand their current situation and motivations, and simultaneously assess how providers are feeling about the state of healthcare. Tell me more about the “jobs-to-be-done” methodology. Why did you take this approach to conduct your research? Consumers purchase and use products and services because they satisfy one or more important jobs they are trying to accomplish. In healthcare, this largely centers around the goal of getting better: Cure the ailment, fix the broken bone, complete the annual well-check visit. Qualitative insight into the “jobs” consumers need to get done ensures that we start with a “needs” mentality when we innovate products and solutions, rather than an “ideas-first” mentality. In our work, consumer interviews revealed 137 jobs associated with a typical healthcare experience. We then conducted a quantitative survey to measure the level of importance associated with each of these jobs, as well as the consumer’s current level of satisfaction with their ability to get each job done. These responses helped us develop a heat map illustrating the greatest pain points and opportunities for improvement. And let me tell you, there is a lot of work to be done to improve the customer experience in health! Are you surprised to see that the financial “jobs” associated with the consumer’s healthcare journey to be the most painful for consumers? I think we all knew the financial aspects of the journey would be a pain point, but it was surprising to see just how dominant this pain was ranked across absolutely every financial element of the journey from start to finish. Ninety-four percent of consumers ranked financial experiences as a major pain point in their overall healthcare journey. Additionally, 98 percent of consumers ranked worrying about paying their medical bills as a “very” to “extremely important” pain point. We need to build solutions and processes that offer consumers more transparency around the financial aspects of the healthcare journey—and importantly, help them know what to expect at each step along the way. This will alleviate some of the stresses of the unknown and allow healthcare consumers to focus on what matter most – getting the care they need. Beyond the consumer survey, you also interviewed 22 providers about their priorities for creating a better patient experience. What did you learn in these discovery calls and face-to-face interviews? Healthcare providers want to see change as well. They are obviously focused on healing people, but they recognize the need to give focus to the marketing and business aspects of providing care. They told us they want to find ways to provide more clarity around charges, and education around how charges can change along the way depending on health discoveries. They additionally cited desires to measure the customer experience, improve their IT infrastructures, build customer loyalty and even link customers with charitable organizations who can help with healthcare costs and payment. They fundamentally understand that all aspects of the consumer or patient experience is important, and some are beginning to recognize that the financial and clinical aspects of healthcare may be more interrelated than once thought. The theme of “consumerism” bubbled up in both the consumer and provider responses. Can you expand on what “consumerism” means in the healthcare space? With the rise of digital technology, consumers have unprecedented power. They expect to be provided with a turnkey, individual experience that is fast and seamless. Think Amazon. Think Apple. Think about review sites like Yelp. While other businesses have been shifting their focus toward delivering meaningful and valuable consumer experiences, healthcare has largely stayed the same. But, costs are rising for governments and employers, and this is placing pressure on healthcare organizations to think differently about how they deliver value. Those rising costs are also directly impacting consumers, driving more shopping behavior and greater adoption of new online tools and resources (think WebMD) that give them more control. These shifts mean that driving consumer engagement and redefining how healthcare organizations interact with people is no longer a luxury, but a necessity. Providers need to make the customer experience a priority. Our survey results validate that, and I’m certain the expectations will only increase in the years to come as the next generations enter the healthcare arena. To learn more about the survey findings, visit Experian.com/consumerhealthstudy.
As they do with everything else they purchase, consumers demand more personalized experiences with their healthcare providers. To meet that demand, healthcare organizations have shifted how they think about customer engagement. It\'s no longer enough to bring patients in, take them through a treatment plan, and send them on their way; providers are now focused on empowering patients, treating them like customers, and using data to improve outcomes and quality of care. This shift is partly due to the fact that rising medical costs have forced health consumers to be choosier about their providers, which means those providers have to be more competitive. While this shift is relatively recent in healthcare, consumers are used to comparing companies and products before making a purchase. With that in mind, healthcare providers should take a cue from the successful marketing techniques used in other competitive industries: collecting data, using that data, and connecting with consumers to get more data. With marketing solutions from Experian Health, healthcare organizations have an easy way to leverage data and more effectively reach their current and future customers. Finding your audience The people you want to market to aren’t just patients; they’re consumers — and hopefully future customers. And these consumers have specific lifestyles and habits. The best way to learn about those habits is through a comprehensive database of consumer information. Experian Health\'s ConsumerViewSM lets you tap into more than 30 years of historical data on more than 300 million consumers. Learn exactly who your audience is by pooling data points on core demographics including age, gender, marital and parental status, and more. ConsumerView pulls from a variety of sources and is constantly being updated, which means marketers can trust that they\'re getting accurate, actionable information. After you identify your target market, you can combine the data from ConsumerView with Mosaic® USA and TrueTouchSM to segment, identify, and successfully reach your target audience with the most appropriate message. Consumer segmenting made easy While ConsumerView is the source for your audience’s data, Mosaic USA is how you make sense of it all. Think of it like an automatic filing cabinet, sorting your data into relevant groups and presenting it to you for easy accessibility. The segmentation system separates consumer audiences into 71 unique types within 19 overarching groups; more than 300 ConsumerView data points detail consumers\' preferences, choices, and habits. This segmentation helps you zero in on your audience and tailor your messages to each group you\'re targeting. Using Mosaic USA, you could identify which segments of your audience would benefit from preventative medicine or which ones are currently living with certain health conditions. Then, you could send those audience segments messages and materials about your relevant services. With the TrueTouch platform, you can ensure each message is also delivered to your audience through the channels they prefer for optimal engagement. Getting on their level Knowing who your audience members are and what they value most is an important marketing step, but you still have to deliver your message in a way that resonates with them. That might be through personalized emails, ads on their favorite social media channels, or even direct mail advertisements. TrueTouch gives you the power to personalize your marketing campaign for each unique segment of your audience according to their preferred methods of engagement. Reaching out to customers before they need to come in for a visit will make that visit more personal and productive. Your personalized marketing campaign can leverage emails, social media interaction, website retargeting, and more, depending on what\'s most effective. As your marketing campaign draws in more customers, you can continually improve your TrueTouch usage by capturing data on which channels were most effective for which customer segments. Ultimately, healthcare providers should be the most focused on providing excellent care and making customers healthy. That\'s why Experian Health\'s marketing tools are designed to make healthcare marketing as easy and as effective as possible. Today\'s consumers are savvy and choose their care providers carefully, but gaining valuable insights into their behavior is simpler than you might think.
