With the release of Accenture’s 2019 Digital Health Consumer Survey, a trend towards non-traditional care models such as digital and virtual services, as well as retail clinics, was observed in Gen Z and millennial consumers across America. Collecting responses from over 2,000 U.S. consumers, the survey found meaningful differences in satisfaction levels between older and younger healthcare consumers.
With in-person care, Millennials were two to three times likelier than baby boomers to be dissatisfied with appointment time convenience, effectiveness of care, the location or channel of that care, and the medications they expected to be prescribed. Members of Gen Z hold even less satisfaction with the system; 32% are dissatisfied with the effectiveness of their care, and 24% think everything including prescribed medication, care channels and locations, treatment costs, and follow-up question responsiveness could be better.
This dissatisfaction reflects in the newer generation’s shift away from primary care physicians. While 84% of baby boomers say they have a primary care physician, only 67% of millennials and 55% of Gen Z claim the same. Instead, they seek out non-traditional methods and avenues for medical services. The rise of these non-traditional methods fosters use by every age group, increasing virtual care use to 29% of all survey respondents.
“As more patients take control of their own healthcare, provider organizations must offer meaningful choices that fulfill the needs of all generational groups,” said the Head of Accenture’s Global Health practice, Kaveh Safavi, M.D., J.D in a press statement. “Providers and payers who stay one step ahead of the shifts and deliver what patients are looking for will be the ones to earn loyalty, navigate disruption and be strongly positioned as the future unfolds.”
