Over the course of my career in healthcare administration, I have witnessed the fundamental shift in healthcare brought about by patients’ enhanced access to information and options for care.
If healthcare systems want to be competitive in this changing and evolving healthcare environment, they must embrace a different mindset of how they view the patient-provider relationship and mechanisms in which they deliver healthcare.
Healthcare providers of the future will no longer see individuals as patients, but rather as healthcare consumers armed with well-researched opinions and more options for paths to improved health than ever before. Healthcare must be delivered with refocused principles centered on the healthcare consumer and their expectations.
Patients want to make their own healthcare decisions while looking to the provider as a trusted advisor/navigator—confirming, or debunking with actual data, the information they have gleaned from WebMD, social media, friends, and other nonconventional medical sources.
Increasingly patients are no longer content to sit idly in the backseat while their healthcare provider drives the ship to the promised seas of health; they want a turn at the wheel. They want to be the captain of their own ship on their journey to a healthy lifestyle.
Operational healthcare leaders have a critical role to ensure providers and their teams are able to take care of patient clinical needs as quickly and efficiently as possible.
The Impact of Consumerism on Patient Expectations-This shift is driven by several key factors:
1. Demand for Convenience and Digital Access
If patients are to cross the uncertain seas of health and well being, they want to have the best tools and guides available when they need it most. Healthcare consumers now expect seamless, digital experiences — and they want it available the moment they want it. Studies show that up to 80% of healthcare consumers prefer providers that offer digital scheduling, online payments, and virtual care options.
2. Price Transparency and Cost Sensitivity
According to a 2021 McKinsey study, 60% of patients say cost transparency is important when selecting a provider, yet only 25% feel they have access to clear pricing information. Patients want to be able to look through the lens of their spyglass and see clearly what lies ahead financially. Historically, healthcare left the view obstructed and foggy.
3. Higher Expectations for Customer Service
Patients want to feel well taken care of along this healthcare journey, not like second-rate stow-aways begging for a provider's time and attention.
Patients would like healthcare experiences to feel more like the experiences they have in other industries with fast responses, clear communication, and personalized service. Accenture found that 50% of patients would switch providers for better customer service. A customer relationship tool is a must to meet this expectation.
Patient satisfaction — often influenced by customer service — is also a key metric in capitation and directly impacts financial results.
4. Increased Focus on Outcomes and Value-Based Care
A patient wants to ensure they arrive where they intended in the best possible shape, and at the time they intended when the journey is over. Patients want to have outcomes they can brag about to their friends and family.
They want to have experiences that they are proud to post about on social media proclaiming they have the best healthcare providers and are part of the best clinic in their community as evidenced by how great they feel. White glove service is the new expectation.
As star ratings and other quality data becomes more available, it is imperative that healthcare organizations are worthy of their patient’s public praise.
Author’s Recommendation
As a healthcare operations leader and a patient advocate, I have seen firsthand the frustrations (for both patient and provider) that occur with the new generation of patient expectations that alter the way healthcare operational processes are viewed and delivered. Healthcare operations leaders can take the following steps to help ensure to meet evolving patient experiences
- Improved Engagement and Personalization: An available and easy-to-use digital front door provides patients with the ability to engage with healthcare providers and their teams when it is most convenient to the patient.
- Online Scheduling and appointment management: Patients are able to book, reschedule, or cancel appointments the instant the patient desires to do so. This also provides automated appointment reminders and education in a timely manner.
- Online registration and payments: Patients are able to enter all their information and any changes since their last visit prior to arrival, thus saving time at the desk and reducing work for the registration staff. They are also able to pay any co-pays, co-insurances, and past due balances without having to have the discussion at the front desk.
- Improved digital communication: Patients want more convenient access to AI-chatbots, virtual assistants, and even medical assistants working with the patients preferred healthcare provider. There are many technological platforms that will allow patients to text or chat with artificial or living assistants, reducing the need for phone calls and unnecessary hold times.
- Leveraging Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms: By gathering and responding to patient feedback, healthcare organizations can tailor the patient experience. We are able to see how we are doing and what we need to change through the patients’ lens.
In Conclusion
As healthcare consumerism continues to evolve, we must remain agile and progressive in embracing change, looking to patients as a source of direction. We will best navigate these rolling waters when we embrace new technologies and ways of delivering healthcare.
We must be willing to hand over the wheel and allow patients to drive the ship to their desired healthcare destinations as they make well informed decisions with our help. For so long, providers, administrators, and healthcare teams have wanted patients to take more ownership of their health.
That day is on the horizon, and we have the opportunity to be part of their health journey — as long as we choose to use the spyglass to anticipate patient needs and embrace the winds coming our way.
Keona’s Reply
Brandon, I appreciate the way you've split out the functions into digestible segments for a practice operator — it really highlights the essential departments and skill sets in healthcare: engagement, financial, and operational excellence.
It’s a balancing act, and the question is: how do we influence all three areas simultaneously? One path is through guided workflows that standardize team actions — how we greet patients, how we offer access to scheduling, and how we transparently ask for payment. Setting clear, repeatable standards across teams and embedding them in intuitive processes is key.
A streamlined digital front door plays a huge role. Patients want the ability to self-serve — whether it’s booking, rescheduling, paying, or chatting with someone (human or virtual) without long waits.
That kind of accessibility boosts engagement, improves satisfaction, and lightens staff load. And when it comes to payment, upfront estimates and digital payment options reduce friction and support trust.
Operationally, we need to constantly revisit processes: simplify, automate, and ask the hard “why?” questions. That’s how we improve both patient experience and staff morale. When we empower patients and staff through smart systems, we get closer to delivering truly modern, connected care.
A great revolution and mindset shift is happening. We are no longer just working for patients, but with them.
To borrow your metaphor, we must work together to navigate the seas, everyone taking a turn at the helm, seamlessly communicating, shifting position, and exploring uncharted territories. Outdated systems are in our wake. New possibilities and better patient care are on the horizon.
