During the early days of the epidemic, Americans began using digital channels to communicate with their healthcare professionals, and they have continued to do so through patient portals, telemedicine technology, and mobile applications ever since. Forty-six percent of all U.S. customers — a projected 119 million — currently get healthcare services through a combination of traditional in-person and digital choices, and their numbers are increasing.
The CareCredit partnership “ConnectedEconomyTM: Omnichannel Healthcare Takes Center Stage” explains how digital and omnichannel healthcare solutions have become essential to healthcare access. We questioned a census-balanced panel of 2,735 U.S. consumers about their interactions with healthcare providers in July to understand more about how their healthcare behaviors have changed over the last nine months and the implications for the future of healthcare.
Our investigation yielded the following key findings:
• Healthcare in the United States, like shopping, is becoming an omnichannel experience. 46 percent of customers communicate with their healthcare providers through both physical and digital means.
• Omnichannel healthcare appeals to customers of all ages, but it particularly appeals to Generation Z. Two-thirds of Gen Z customers utilize a combination of digital and in-person healthcare services, compared to 29% of baby boomers and seniors.
• As inflation rises, low-income consumers cut back on healthcare spending, but these patients continue to use digital healthcare tools.
In July, 8% fewer customers earning less than $50,000 per year reported receiving any form of healthcare than in November, with only 40% of this group utilizing any type of healthcare service that month. Nonetheless, the proportion of low-income customers who communicate with their healthcare providers online rather than in person has climbed by 6% since November 2021. This indicates that digital healthcare solutions are becoming increasingly important for low-income customers, and this trend shows no signs of abating.
