It’s no secret that patient volumes in 2022 were below expectations. NRC Health, recently found that 27% of patients actively deferred their care in 2022. Why are so many patients putting off their care? In 2022, financial concerns rather than fear of COVID-19 were one of the primary reasons for patients not visiting healthcare facilities. Patients may continue to defer their care until healthcare organizations address this.
Healthcare IT Today sat down with Ryan Donohue, Strategic Advisor at NRC Health, to dig deeper into the company’s findings and to discuss how healthcare organizations can motivate patients to return.
Tracking Patients Who Defer Care
For more than 40 years, NRC Health has been gathering data on consumer and patient preferences. They analyze that data to provide insights to healthcare organizations on how they can improve the overall patient experience as well as outcomes.
In 2008, at the height of the Great Recession, NRC Health began tracking consumers who needed care but chose not to seek it. That year, they found that 25% of US consumers were deferring their care. The most recent report from NRC Health shows that number to 27% in 2022.
This is down from highs during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020 and 2021), but it is still more than what was expected at the start of 2022. Back then, many healthcare organizations were planning for a bounce back in patient volumes.
“Utilization bounced back in 2022, but not nearly as strong as providers have wanted,” explained Donohue.
Financial Concerns
Of course, over the past couple of years, the main reason cited by consumers who deferred their care was COVID-19. However, even though the pandemic fears faded away in 2022, patients did not return. Donohue believes that patients are staying away for the same reason they did pre-pandemic – financial concerns.
“Consumers are saying: I don’t know if I can afford this,” said Donohue. “I don’t know how much this is going to cost me. I can’t afford to take time off work to see the doctor or have this procedure done. I haven’t hit my deductible yet, so maybe I’ll wait for the year to reset. These are just some of the financial concerns being expressed.”
The uncertain job market, sky-high inflation, and a lack of pricing transparency around medical costs, has forced many consumers to re-evaluate their need for care. In fact, two of the top 5 reasons cited by patients on why they delayed care were related to this:
- 1% said they were willing to manage on their own for now
- 7% said they felt their problem was not serious
Getting patients back in
So what can healthcare organizations do to get patients to return? Donohue feels it is time for healthcare organizations to restart their patient marketing efforts.
“We need to remind consumers of all the wonderful services that providers offer,” said Donohue. “We need to reassure people that the facility is safe, but more importantly, we need to show them that putting off care can lead to even higher medical costs – especially if they suddenly need emergency care for something that could have been treated in a different manner.”
Donohue recommends that healthcare marketers work towards elevating experiences by giving consumers a consistent, straightforward path from the beginning stages of access all the way to payment and healing. He called this path the “Golden Thread” which should help guide consumers throughout their journey with an organization.
Learn more about this “Golden Thread” concept by watching the interview with Ryan Donohue.
NRC Health provides market research with an emphasis on consumer preferences and insights that lead to improved experiences and better outcomes.
Learn more about NRC Health at https://nrchealth.com/
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