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Affordability, GenAI top-of-mind for healthcare consumers
GenAI holds promise for ameliorating patient navigation and affordability issues that get in the way of patient care access, healthcare consumers say.
Healthcare isn't affordable and it's not convenient, two factors that bar patient care access, according to PwC's 2024 "US Healthcare Consumer Insights and Engagement Survey."
The survey of more than 2,000 adult patients showed that healthcare affordability and patient navigation are woefully behind. And although digital technologies, like generative AI (GenAI), can support patients in pursuit of more cost-effective and convenient care, patient willingness to use these tools has its limits.
These findings come as healthcare organizations work to promote a better patient experience and adjust to trends of healthcare consumerism. Patients are willing to change providers in order to have their needs and preferences met, making it essential for organizations to be nimble enough to tailor their services to individual consumers.
Healthcare consumerism, plus the healthcare affordability and navigation challenges that beleaguer patient care access, need to be top-of-mind for hospitals and health systems as they strive for better patient engagement and experience, the PwC authors said.
Healthcare is unaffordable for most
Healthcare isn't affordable for many patients, a problem the PwC authors asserted should be no surprise to anyone.
Four in 10 healthcare consumers said they can manage their current healthcare costs, but they can't afford to take on more healthcare expenses. Meanwhile, three in 10 said they can't afford their current healthcare costs, while an equal proportion said they could likely afford to pay more.
High healthcare costs are keeping patients out of the clinic, the survey added. A little more than a quarter (28%) said they skip, delay or stop their care because they can't afford it. This is more common among Generation Z (39%) and millennial (33%) respondents.
Patient navigation proves arduous
It's not just high healthcare costs that bar patient care access. The PwC survey showed that patients are also waiting until the last minute to access care, in large part because the healthcare industry is too complex to navigate.
Around two-thirds (65%) of respondents said they don't seek out healthcare until it's urgent. This is more common among Gen Z and millennial patients than their baby boomer counterparts. The PwC authors posited that older patients have more chronic illnesses than their younger peers, making them more accustomed to interacting with the healthcare industry.
Indeed, seven in 10 respondents said they know where to find care when they need it, but that's mostly driven by baby boomer patients who find it easy to navigate the healthcare industry.
Gen Z, millennial, uninsured and low-income patients were more likely to say it's difficult to know where to access care when they need it. Conversely, folks with higher incomes, fewer health issues and more manageable medical bills were most likely to say it's very easy to navigate healthcare.
These findings open up an opportunity for healthcare, pharmaceutical and insurance companies to tailor their patient navigation and outreach services, the PwC authors pointed out. Targeted patient education and incentives may help engage populations who are less likely to say healthcare is easily navigable.
The emergence of certain digital tools might also ease healthcare access. But although patients are open to some of them, that patient trust has its limits, the survey furthered.
Patients cautiously optimistic about GenAI
Tools like GenAI have the potential to ease healthcare industry navigation and patient care access. Specifically, the technology can automate tasks like appointment scheduling, secure messaging via the patient portal, prescription refills and bill pay.
On the whole, patients are receptive to the idea of GenAI automating their healthcare experience, with a fifth saying they are ready to use GenAI as a doctor's assistant. Still, patients expressed some concerns about data privacy and clinical quality.
Patient interest in digital tools also falls along generational lines, the survey furthered. While 80% of respondents ages 18 to 34 said they're ready to use GenAI for routine healthcare activities, only 60% of those over age 65 said the same. A similar split emerged for virtual care preference; older adults prefer in-person doctor visits compared to those ages 25 to 34.
Healthcare organizations cannot force technology on consumers, PwC cautioned, nor can they afford to be Luddites. Rather, they need to offer a range of high- and low-tech patient engagement and access options to meet the needs and preferences of a broad patient population.
Moreover, organizations need to ensure an integrated digital experience. Although there's a plethora of patient engagement technologies to service patients at nearly all points of care, without health IT interoperability, the user experience will be lacking, the PwC authors advised.
But as healthcare continues its digital transformation, clinicians will need to contend with another shift: patient trust in other healthcare voices.
Patient trust in docs continues
Patients still primarily trust their doctors and other clinicians as healthcare communicators, but the PwC authors indicated other players will be entering the conversation and patients are poised to trust them, too.
Indeed, patient trust in doctors varies by generation, with older patients much more likely to trust their doctors than younger ones. Meanwhile, younger generations are turning to the internet to seek health information. According to the survey data, an internet search engine is the second-most trusted source of healthcare information, trailed by the pharmacy, close family and friends and health insurance providers.
Healthcare organizations can adapt to these changes by creating more convenient digital front doors through which patients may access health-related information. Additionally, being transparent about the way health information is being used and stored will go a long way in gaining patient trust when using these systems.
Sara Heath has covered news related to patient engagement and health equity since 2015.
