Study: Health care experience disappoints 81% of consumers

CHICAGO — GE Healthcare Camden Group and Prophet on Wednesday published the results of a study that found about 81% of the people they surveyed are unsatisfied with their health care experience. 

 

The study also found a gap between what providers thing they are offering and how consumers perceive the quality of their offerings, with providers overestimated consumers’ opinion on quality by more than 20%. 

 

“There is a misperception among providers about how well they are truly meeting consumer expectations,” Prophet’s healthcare practice co-lead Jeff Gourdji said. “Although they acknowledge its importance, providers are finding it challenging to focus on patient experience in the face of so many competing priorities.”

 

In the past several years, the healthcare landscape has seen a growth in consolidation, as well as a dip in patient satisfaction, and experts who worked on the study attribute that to the patient’s growing desire to be more involved in their health care. Additionally, those involved with the study emphasized the imperative for providers to keep up with a rise in healthcare consumerism and patients’ increased focus on experience.

 

“The results of our study prove that to be successful, healthcare providers need to modernize their approach to patient experience,” GE Healthcare Camden Group president Laura Jacobs said. “Creating better and more holistic experiences doesn’t just mean happier patients. It translates to increased capacity, lower operating costs, improved financial performance, and higher employee satisfaction and retention. For healthcare providers, the key to profitability and longevity lies in their ability to deliver a superior consumer experience.”