Each month, Zocdoc attracts millions of individuals in search of healthcare providers and appointments. Through their clicks and the choices they make, these patients express the U.S. patient base’s preferences and desires regarding their care.
These valuable insights are crucial for providers, given they are all striving to attract and retain patients. That’s why Zocdoc released a report on Tuesday outlining some of the key insights the company has gathered this year about patient preferences and behavior.
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At the end of the report, Zocdoc Founder and CEO Oliver Kharraz gave five predictions about how patient preferences will evolve in 2024. MedCity News asked him to expand on those predictions, which are listed below.
Patients will increasingly opt for cash-pay services that offer fixed, upfront pricing.
More patients will likely choose services that offer clear-cut pricing in 2024, Kharraz predicted. This is a natural response to the uncertainty and lack of transparency most Americans experience when it comes to their out-of-pocket healthcare costs, even for in-network care, he said.
Americans’ enrollment in high-deductible health plans is continuing to rise to all-time highs, with more than half of the country’s private sector workers enrolled in a high-deductible health plan in 2021, Kharraz pointed out.
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“As a result, the financial incentives (or disincentives) involved in those plans make cash-pay services an increasingly attractive option,” he explained. “But even for those who are not enrolled in a high-deductible health plan, insurance coverage can be hard to understand, and 1 in 5 Americans have received a surprise bill. Upfront, cash-pay prices can offer peace of mind via a price guarantee, where patients know that the listed price will be the cost ceiling — not the floor.”
Patients will prioritize convenience for transactional healthcare needs.
Americans still prefer traditional physician appointments for preventive care visits and their more complex care needs, and that trend isn’t likely to go away anytime soon. However, Americans will begin seeking more care outside of their established patient-provider relationship for more transactional needs, such as flu shots, prescription refills or treatment for common infections, Kharraz forecasted.
“Historically, being a patient requires a lot of patience. In their time of need, they have had to call down outdated insurance directories, then wait on hold, then wait weeks for the privilege of a visit, then wait in a room solely designed for waiting, and then wait some more for a surprise bill. But in all other areas of their lives, patients have become accustomed to speed and convenience, and they are seeking the same when it comes to their care,” he declared.
There has been a proliferation of easy-to-access care options, such as urgent care facilities and on-demand virtual care providers, in recent years. Patients are quickly incorporating these services into their healthcare journeys, and the industry should expect to see a rise in urgent care bookings for acute issues, as well as greater use of digital prescription services, Kharraz said.
The presidential election will cause an uptick in mental health bookings.
Kharraz predicted that more patients will likely book appointments with mental health professionals in the months before and after the presidential election, a known cause of stress and anxiety for many Americans.
In 2020, Zocdoc saw an increase in mental health-related bookings in the weeks leading up to the election, he said.
Medicare beneficiaries will use more care navigation technology.
When the consumer internet first took off roughly 30 years ago, Baby Boomers were young adults, Kharraz pointed out. Hence, they are now Medicare’s first tech-fluent cohort.
Many Medicare beneficiaries use technology in all other areas of their lives, so they are open to adopting technology that makes navigating their healthcare journey easier, he explained.
“They want to be able to digitally schedule and manage their many healthcare visits. They want to keep track of their medical team and providers’ contact info and keep their personal health information organized, digitally, all in one place. They want text or email reminders about their upcoming appointments, to be reminded when it’s time for certain preventive procedures, and more,” Kharraz stated.
Semaglutide-related visits will continue to increase.
Demand for injectable weight loss drugs will only get stronger as the FDA approves more of these drugs, supply chain issues get solved, and Americans observe their peers’ success with these medications, Kharraz declared.
This year on Zocdoc’s platform, consultations for Ozempic and Wegovy were already becoming an increasingly popular visit reason, with 86% of these visits being booked by women, he noted.
“We expect the demand for these consultations to continue to rise alongside public interest. We’ll see more patients turn to healthcare providers for guidance on whether or not they’re a good candidate for GLP-1 medications and to discuss the potential risks and benefits,” Kharraz said.
Photo: georgeclerk, Getty Images
