New National Patient Survey Reveals 84% Would Increase Provider Loyalty with More Holistic Health and Wellbeing Support

Welltok's "Rethink the Patient Journey" Report Exposes Opportunities for Deeper Provider Relationships and Limitations of Patient Portals

News provided by

Welltok, Inc.

May 20, 2019, 09:04 ET

DENVER, May 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- A new survey by Welltok, the leading consumer health SaaS company, confirms that today's patients are indeed expecting more from their providers, which includes hospitals, health systems and physician practices. The "Rethink the Patient Journey" report of more than 1,600 adults across the nation also reveals that the vast majority would be more loyal to organizations that extend health and wellbeing support beyond clinical encounters.

In this rapidly evolving world where patients are now being viewed as health consumers and competition and cost pressures are increasing, providers need to understand what consumers want and how to best support them to drive greater loyalty. To better understand these expectations, Welltok conducted a survey of adults who visited their provider multiple times in the past year. Key findings include:

Patients Want to Be Loyal: Most adults (84%) surveyed say they would feel a greater sense of loyalty to their preferred healthcare provider if their overall health and wellbeing was being supported outside of a clinical setting (e.g., nutrition, stress management, weight loss). In fact, provider organizations are where respondents are most likely to turn for holistic health and wellbeing support, coming in ahead of health plans, pharmacies and employers.
Answer the Call for Holistic Health: Most adults say it is important that their provider organization offers programs and resources that support all aspects of health (physical, financial, emotional and social). Nearly 75% of adults also want continuous interaction with their healthcare provider between appointments and believe their provider should be doing more to support health and wellbeing – even when they aren't sick.
Personalization is an Expectation: A personal touch is essential both in and out of the clinical setting. The majority of adults (84%) feel their provider would better serve them if their health interests, goals and motivations were better known. Additionally, 81% of respondents would be more likely to follow discharge orders/pre- and post-visit information if they were personalized (61% currently feel the information is too generic).
Patient Portal Limitations: While some health organizations are looking for ways to extend the utility of patient portals beyond accessing medical records/results or scheduling appointments, consumers do not seem interested. When asked about desired activities to be done in a patient portal, adults were less likely to select getting support managing an existing condition (20%), finding personalized wellbeing resources like stress management (12%), or participating in health coaching sessions (10%), which can be better managed and engaged with a consumer-focused health platform.

"It is time to rethink the patient journey. It's no longer just about how providers interact with patients from their first appointment to discharge, but rather the broader ongoing journey to optimal health that often occurs outside of the provider setting," said Michelle Snyder, Welltok's chief marketing officer. "It's been exciting to see our customers embrace the opportunity to reshape how their organizations engage patients throughout the year, providing the personalized health and wellbeing support consumers are clearly seeking from their providers."

Join a free webinar "Rethink the Patient Journey" on May 29 from 12-12:30 p.m. ET to hear expert commentary on the results and get access to the full report.

About Welltok

Welltok is a data-driven, enterprise SaaS company that delivers the healthcare industry's leading consumer activation platform. Welltok's solutions empower leading health plans, employers, providers and public entities to connect consumers with personalized health improvement resources, making it easy and rewarding for consumers to complete actions that optimize their health and wellbeing. Only Welltok leverages a machine-learning, multi-channel approach proven to help innovative organizations power growth and retention initiatives, improve healthcare value, and streamline the consumer experience, while upholding the highest security and compliance standards. Follow us on Twitter @Welltok.com.

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SOURCE Welltok, Inc.