The pandemic changed everything, and healthcare is still undergoing a digital transformation from pre-COVID-19 patterns to a new type of hybrid engagement that promises better patient experiences and cost and time efficiencies, with more positive outcomes in the offing.
For the study “The ConnectedEconomy™: Omnichannel Healthcare Takes Center Stage,” a PYMNTS and CareCredit collaboration, we surveyed over 2,700 consumers and found that nearly half are mixing channels — virtual and in office — in a new care delivery paradigm.
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Combining channels for healthcare delivery is a fairly new experience for consumer-patients, powered by the meteoric rise of telehealth over the past 30 months.
Noting that 46% of U.S. consumers engage with healthcare providers using both physical and digital channels, the study states, “This means consumers are using a mix of both in-person and online healthcare channels — as opposed to one or the other — 8% more than they did in November. Similarly, 25% fewer consumers used only digital channels and 11% fewer used only brick-and-mortar channels last month than just one month prior.”
Additionally, we found that “one of the most common digital healthcare activities was accessing online-only healthcare through sites like Doctor On Demand, and such sites have seen a 26% increase in usage since November. Engagement in telemedicine more broadly has also risen since November, with 23% growth for telemedicine appointments with behavioral health specialists and 17% growth for telemedicine appointments with doctors.”
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