How to Elevate Your Health Care Customer Experience for Engaged Consumers

Dan Howell discusses how healthcare organizations can best serve today's highly engaged consumer. 

Outside forces—from consumerism to health care reform, to digital evolution—have created a marketplace where individual consumers are more engaged than ever before in purchasing insurance and managing their health and wellness. For health care organizations operating in this evolving marketplace, success and competitiveness is not just about being the “best.” It is about delivering an effortless experience that meets—or, preferably, exceeds—health care consumers’ expectations.

When choosing which health care services to purchase and consume, today’s consumers will consider a host of factors that include traditional criteria such as cost, reputation, and quality of service. But they are just as likely to prioritize experience. Do they have easy access to the information they need and want? Can they connect when they want and through the channels they want? Do they receive timely and personalized communication?

What’s important to acknowledge here is that the benchmark for health care customer experience no longer comes from just the health care industry. It comes from the wider marketplace, where companies like Amazon and Uber have set a high standard for shopping and customer service experiences. Health care consumers and patients expect the same type of seamless experience when interacting with insurance and provider organizations.

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