In today’s constantly evolving world, people are becoming more and more used to convenient processes and efficient service. Whether it’s ordering clothing online to be delivered the next day or purchasing groceries and having them loaded into one’s car, many tasks that might have required a decent amount of effort in the past have become simpler and easier.
Though healthcare services have been a little late to the game, changes in consumer preferences are forcing healthcare organizations to improve their processes. Whereas patients used to be at the whim of healthcare providers — often having to wait nearly a month to see a doctor after making an appointment — healthcare providers are now being forced to adjust to their consumer’s needs.
From nursing apps to mobile healthcare units, healthcare providers are now innovating many aspects of their processes and services to offer better services than their competitors. Understanding why healthcare organizations are having to succumb to the desires of their patients and the ways that healthcare is changing can provide one with a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the consumerization of healthcare.
Why Healthcare Is Becoming More Consumer-Focused
In recent years, healthcare organizations have become more focused on meeting the needs of their consumers. While one might think it’s odd that they weren’t doing so before, the truth is that they simply didn’t need to. When it came to healthcare, consumers had no alternatives that provided them with the convenience and improved processes that they were searching for.
Today, however, this is no longer the case. Various healthcare providers have begun to offer a slew of new offerings that make receiving healthcare easier, cheaper, and more convenient. Here are some of the main reasons why healthcare is becoming more consumer focused.
Consumers Have More Options Than Ever Before
In the past, healthcare organizations had a monopoly on healthcare and had little incentive to innovate in ways that made their business models more consumer focused. These days, that’s no longer a viable option for them.
More and more healthcare alternatives have begun to emerge as the world continues to advance technologically. From newer providers providing innovative services to others attempting to cut costs, traditional healthcare organizations have had to follow suit in order to keep consumers coming to them.
The competition now associated with healthcare is one of the main driving forces behind the consumerization of healthcare. As time goes on, it is likely that this driving force will only become stronger and force traditional healthcare organizations to innovate for consumers even more.
Consumer Preferences Have Shifted
In the past, healthcare consumers had no bar to measure their healthcare services against. Many individuals have never engaged in a doctor’s appointment through a video call or made an appointment online.
Today, this is no longer the case and many individuals have been exposed to instances of convenient healthcare services. One catalyst for a boost in these types of services was the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced healthcare organizations to innovate in ways that made it safer and easier for patients to receive care.
After experiencing the ease of practices such as telemedicine, many consumers now choose not to go to healthcare providers who don’t offer such services. Accordingly, this has caused many traditional healthcare providers to innovate in ways that make receiving care easier for their consumers and increase the frequency of these offerings.
Ways Consumerization Is Changing Healthcare
Consumerization has had a massive impact on the healthcare industry. Healthcare providers have been forced to evolve, innovate, and focus more deeply on customers in order to keep up with the changes.
Here are some of the most significant ways in which consumerization is changing healthcare.
Quicker Access to Healthcare
Whereas patients used to typically have to wait weeks in order to speak to their doctors, today, medical professionals have become more accessible than ever before. In fact, some healthcare providers may even offer one the chance to have a phone or video call with a doctor mere minutes after requesting an appointment.
This increase in efficiency in the time it takes to receive medical care is one of the keyways in which consumerization has begun to morph healthcare. Traditional healthcare providers simply can’t get away with making patients wait an exorbitant amount of time to receive care anymore. If they tried, consumers would likely seek out other providers who offered more efficient services.
Accordingly, more efficient service seems to have become a new staple in healthcare provider offerings as a result of consumerization.
More Convenient Processes for Consumers
From renewing prescriptions to conversing with medical professionals, healthcare has undoubtedly become more convenient for consumers over the last decade. Whereas one had to travel to a healthcare institution to have a prescription renewed and commute to consult an aesthetic nurse, today, these things can be done from the convenience of one’s home.
Consumers have become used to having more convenient healthcare options and, as a result, have become less willing to choose healthcare providers that don’t offer convenient services. Now, healthcare providers are competing with each other to offer the most convenient care options to consumers and are incorporating new technology into their processes such as automation and IIoT.
Demand for More Transparency and Lower Costs
Over the past few decades, the internet has allowed individuals to become more knowledgeable about health and illnesses. Whereas a minor rash used to cause one to make a doctor’s appointment, these days, a quick Google search may suffice. As patients have become savvier with health information, they’ve also become keener on having transparency and lower costs from their healthcare providers.
In the recent past, some healthcare providers wouldn’t provide cost estimates for specific services. Today, almost all healthcare providers do, which has allowed consumers to compare costs between different providers. Increased transparency and a greater concern with providing lower-cost healthcare is a significant shift that consumerization has caused in healthcare.
Healthcare Is Transforming
Traditional healthcare providers used to have little motivation to focus more on their consumers. These days, that’s no longer the case. Consumerization is proving itself to be a disruptive force in healthcare and has forced many healthcare providers to be more mindful of the services they offer their patients. The more consumers continue to change, the more traditional healthcare providers will have to follow suit and alter their processes and services.
As time goes on, it’s more than likely that healthcare will continue to shift and become more consumer-focused with each passing day.