Consumers’ health care expectations transformed by pandemic

After more than two years of diagnosis-by-Zoom, patients are looking for more meaningful communications and relationships with their health care professionals. That’s according to a new CVS 2022 Health Care Insights Study, which shows that people are embracing lifestyle changes post-pandemic as essential elements of overall health.

The report states that consumers are looking at health care in a more holistic way. Eight-one percent of people surveyed say it’s important that their primary care provider be aware of their overall happiness and satisfaction with life. The same percentage also say they want their primary care provider to be aware of their stress levels and how they’re dealing with difficult situations.

As many Americans have emerged from lockdown, their changing habits and behavior are emerging as areas of focus. For example, 44% of people are upping their physical activity levels, 39% are focused on lowering stress, 38% are looking at losing weight and 38% are interested in eating a balanced diet. And as these behaviors come into focus, 80% also say it’s important for their primary care providers to be aware of their health goals.

When it comes to mental health, providers appear to be generally supportive. Fifty-seven percent of providers say access to mental health professionals would be helpful to their patient population and 48% say they always or often refer their patients to a mental health professional to help their patient achieve a health goal.

The team approach is another emerging trend and model that can provide primary care designed to improve the patient’s health journey. Eighty-three percent of consumers reported that coordination among all health care providers is very or somewhat important to their health. Doctors feel the same way, with 68% of physicians saying coordinating with their patients’ other care providers had a high to moderate impact on their ability to achieve desired outcomes for patients. Meanwhile, 64% said offering patients access to other health care professionals to help coordinate care had a high to moderate impact.

This coordination can come in many forms. Many consumers (85%) say that it is important their primary care providers be aware of their prescription drugs prescribed by other health care providers. In addition, 83% say it is important that their primary care provider be aware of other physicians they are seeing and their diagnosis and recommendations.

The report also finds there has been a significant shift in consumer privacy concerns in recent years.

This year, 61% of consumers said it was very important to keep private health information confidential, exhibiting a yearly decrease from the first study five years ago when 80% of consumers surveyed felt this way.

Similarly, only 59% of consumers said data security was very important to them this year, another significant decrease from 76% in 2017. The speedy adoption of virtual care, spurred by necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic, may be partially responsible for this change in consumer perspective.

The telehealth boom that emerged during the pandemic is now considered a standard offering for consumers. The report says that most people see it as a convenient extension of health care options versus a replacement for in-person visits.

In fact, 92% of people surveyed said convenience trumps all other benefits of virtual visits and 52% of people cite it as a very important factor. Forty-one percent of consumers say the ability to have a walk-in appointment is still important to them. As this trend continues, providers are adding digital capabilities, with 54% adding virtual office visit capabilities, 42% adding an online portal and 43% adding mobile or app capabilities.

Adding such features makes people more likely to seek the medical care they need. Fifty-three percent of providers say the addition of virtual care has increased patient visits, 93% believe virtual visits made patients more likely to make appointments and 88% say patients are more likely to keep appointments.

As COVID-19 slowly morphs from pandemic to endemic, consumers of health care are changing their attitudes. People are now looking for a more coordinated, accessible, convenient and affordable system that reinforces and encourages positive health care behavior.