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A new Experian Health survey found both patients and providers believe patient access is improving. Despite the upswing, there is some misalignment on how much it has improved, which reflects what Gozio saw in the patient-facing survey on digital engagement trends we conducted at the end of 2023. Providers tend to see more improvement than patients.
In this case, 55% of providers but just 28% of patients said patient access and service are improving. According to the press release from Experian, the top challenge for patients, cited by 27% of those surveyed, is seeing a doctor quickly. Data show that the wait for an appointment is averaging at over 25 days in 2024.
The Experian survey, fielded in February 2024, was of 200 healthcare revenue cycle decision-makers and more than 1,000 adults who received care or oversaw care for a dependent. It showed that the most significant contributors to happier patients are the improvements in staffing levels, more accurate price estimates, increased use of telehealth and self-scheduling options.
“Providers are continuing to embrace technology to solve challenges and the positive results are coming to fruition,” said Clarissa Riggins, Chief Product Officer at Experian Health. “From launching patient portals to enabling mobile payment tools, they are adopting a myriad of new innovations to operate more quickly and efficiently, and patients – while not saying access to care is fantastic – are beginning to see the difference.”
The bright spot was an uptick of 11 percent among patients who say access is better vs. survey results in 2022. Survey respondents shared what is important to when evaluating healthcare access:
- My medical provider’s ability to tell me what my insurance covers, before treatment, is important to me (96%)
- The ability to schedule appointments anytime, via online or mobile tools is important to me (89%)
- If my information hasn’t changed, I shouldn’t have to fill out paperwork (85%)
- An accurate estimate helps me better prepare to pay for my care costs (81%)
- I would like more digital options for managing my healthcare (60%)
The press release goes on to say that while patients are more positive overall, seeing a doctor in an acceptable timeframe still poses difficulties. Among all patients surveyed, 27 percent say seeing a practitioner quickly is the number one challenge when trying to access healthcare. This is the exact same result as in 2022. Of the 22 percent of naysayers who say that patient access is getting worse, a majority (79%) pointed to the inability to see a practitioner quickly as a reason why.
When this survey was conducted in 2022, there was a more grim view of patient access overall, but providers were optimistic about the future. That seems to have been an accurate prediction, with the percentage of providers saying things have improved increasing by 28 percent.
The top indicators providers selected as reasons the patient experience is better include:
- Telehealth has improved time to see a provider
- Automation has increased speed and accuracy
- Staffing is better
- Improved insurance identification technology
- Digital/mobile communications are implemented
The report seems to show that the overall outlook continues to be positive with most providers planning to continue investing in the betterment of patient access. This also reflects what Gozio is seeing in the market with health systems increasingly looking to offer access solutions like provider search, scheduling, real-time wait times for urgent care and ED, and telehealth through a premium mobile app for patients.
