COSTA MESA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Experian Health today released findings from a follow-up survey on patient access to explore how patient and provider attitudes have changed in the last six months, and what this means for the future of healthcare. The data reveals that patients feel more positive about their healthcare experience, while providers are continuing the digital momentum to meet patients’ needs.

Patients see benefits of industry changes

Overall, the comparison survey suggests that patients surveyed are more satisfied today with healthcare services than in November 2020. A majority (86%) of those surveyed are feeling more confident about returning to healthcare facilities compared to 81 percent in the prior study. Many (40%) patients that cancelled a procedure due to the pandemic have already rescheduled and undergone the procedure compared to 13 percent last year. Also, concerns about utilizing online services declined among survey respondents from 37 percent to 29 percent.
The challenges patients faced last year have seen improvements as well, with more patients surveyed saying they are able to find an appointment that fits their schedules, increasing from 11.9 percent to 15 percent. The inability to schedule elective care among respondents dropped from 14.6 percent to 11.3 percent.

Another topic addressed in the survey includes price transparency, which remains important to patients and seems to have improved in the last six months. Fewer consumers are surprised by their final bill with more than half (52%) of patients last year saying they had final costs that differed significantly from estimates; now this figure is just 14 percent. Providers, in turn, are less concerned this year about collecting payments from consumers, with those very or extremely concerned decreasing from 50 percent to 41 percent.

“The healthcare industry is transforming at an unparalleled pace. We were anxious to understand what has or hasn’t evolved since the initial impact of the pandemic turned a corner,” said Tom Cox, president for Experian Health. “While we are still in the thick of COVID-19, providers are continuing to embrace digital services and new approaches to delivering care. They are seeing the benefits with more satisfied patients and operational efficiencies, which is a good indicator that the industry is moving in the right direction.”

Consequently, providers are accelerating patient access efforts. Improving the patient experience is a top priority for 93 percent of providers surveyed, up slightly from 90 percent in 2020. Some of the ways the providers surveyed have reduced patient intake friction includes 44 percent implementing online scheduling, an increase of 7 percent, and 40 percent launching automated or expanded patient portal services, which is an uptick from 36 percent since the last survey.

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