From the April 2017 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
The millennial demographic group is an attractive business target, but one that is significantly different from what most providers and hospitals have reached in the past. This is a group that has higher expectations and is more critical than other generations. And successfully marketing to this group — reaching and retaining them as new patients — requires a more accommodating, patient-centered approach in the digital world.
Ripe for virtual care delivery
Rising demand by consumers for virtual health care services is putting more pressure on providers and payers to expand delivery options for on-demand health services. For those millennials who have received care virtually, the reasons they cited most often for seeking virtual care are greater convenience than traditional in-person health care services, familiarity using technology to manage their health and curiosity to try virtual health.
Provider endorsement of the technology is crucial. Millennials would be even more likely to try virtual care if encouraged by a physician or a health care payer. Technology-enabled services will be equally important as traditional in-person services, allowing the modern patient to choose when and how they receive health care services. Given evolving attitudes toward virtual care, making virtual health a priority could be a boon for provider organizations that are resource- and finance-constrained. As more millennials take control of their health care in the digital age, provider organizations have to change the business models to offer meaningful choices for health care access and virtual care delivery.
About the author: Bipin Thomas is a renowned global thought-leader on consumer-centric health care transformation. Thomas is a board member of HealthCare Business News magazine and strategic advisor to HealthTap. Thomas is a senior executive at Flex, where he is launching new business models by connecting all stakeholders in the emerging health care ecosystem. Thomas is a former senior executive at Accenture and UST Global, where he implemented strategic digital initiatives across the care continuum, including providers, payers, medical device manufacturers, pharmaceutical and life sciences, federal and state health agencies.Back to HCB News
