Today CareCloud, the platform for high growth medical groups, released the results of its first annual Patient Experience Index (PXI), created to give medical groups actionable insights into the evolving patient experience. In an interactive online survey, 1,443 patients shared their perspectives of their outpatient healthcare experiences during the previous 12 months. One of the most surprising results showed Baby Boomers are more likely than Millennials to use digital healthcare tools.
In addition, electronic health records (EHRs) and other patient-directed technologies are having a profound and largely positive impact on patient behavior—sometimes enough to cause shifts among patients from one provider to another.
“This survey of the patient experience only reinforces the importance of technology in modern medicine,” said Ken Comée, CareCloud’s Chief Executive Officer. “The patient experience is dramatically transforming. Not only are one-third of patients reporting a positive impact of technology on their care, but patients of all ages are actually embracing digital online patient engagement tools, from scheduling appointments to accessing their medical records and making online payments.”
Key findings from the 2016 PXI include:
Patients Report EHRs Not Interfering with Care
Eight out of ten patients report that electronic health records (EHR) have either improved, or had negligible impact, on their experience with their physician. In fact, nearly one-third of respondents say that their overall care has improved with EHRs.
Boomers Outpacing Other Age Groups in Adoption of Patient Engagement Tools
In contrast to stereotypes surrounding technology and Millennials, Boomers (51-65 years of age) are the group most likely to take advantage of digital healthcare tools. They are viewing online medical records, requesting prescription refills, and contacting their providers with follow-up questions.
Millennials are Most Likely to Switch Based On Technology Availability
High levels of interest in online healthcare tools span all demographic groups. Millennials, however, were the group most likely to make a change based on the availability of online tools. The report shows patients between the ages of 18 to 35 are twice as likely to switch providers in order to access online financial and medical records than any other age group.
The PXI also examines the online factors influencing provider selection. While efforts by medical groups such as social media promotion are still lagging behind more traditional search methods (i.e. – insurance payer website, word of mouth), online physician reputation is becoming increasingly influential. 26% of patients report that they have completed an online review for one or more of their providers and 11% of patients indicate reviews websites play a role in their provider selection process.
“The findings of this report are critical to medical groups in the face of prevalent downward physician outlooks on profitability,” explains Mr. Comée. “Tech implementation could be the difference between growth and profitability versus selling or merging.”
The 2016 Patient Experience Index report is available to the public at no cost. To download the entire study, visit www.carecloud.com/patient-experience-index/.
About CareCloud
CareCloud is the leading provider of cloud-based revenue cycle management, practice management, electronic health record (EHR), and patient engagement solutions for medical groups. Through its modern, intuitive, and integrated platform, CareCloud is enabling healthcare organizations to achieve operational excellence while enhancing the patient experience. CareCloud complements its own software — known for its user-friendly design — with CareCloud Connect, an integrated partner ecosystem that allows physicians to capitalize effortlessly on best-in-class partner solutions.
CareCloud is helping thousands of physicians increase profitability, streamline workflow, and improve patient care nationwide, and currently manages more than $4 billion in annualized accounts receivables on behalf of its revenue cycle management clients. To learn more about CareCloud, visit www.carecloud.com.
