Not only do more than half of patients credit digital health tools with fostering a stronger connection with their primary care providers, but nearly 70 percent also wish technology could play an even greater role in healthcare delivery, a new report finds.

In recent years, I've found myself involved in conversations at my health system and with my chief experience officer colleagues around the country about the nomenclature for the people we serve. For years we've used the term "patients." More recently, we broadened the concept to include "patients and families." Now there is debate over adding the term "consumer" to our lexicon, and whether it cheapens or undermines the sacred relationship we have with patients. 

Four of the top five and about one-third of all 100 companies on marketing consultancy Interbrand's annual list of the "Best Global Brands" are technology or software firms.

Though healthcare is not known for being particularly open to lasting change, Walmart's ongoing attempt to revolutionize care delivery with its consumer-first approach could be the one that sticks, according to Knowledge@Wharton.

Ancestry is expanding its DNA test offerings beyond genealogy to provide health screening, STAT reports, further fueling the Lehi, Utah-based company's rivalry with 23andMe.

Nashville, Tenn.-based Ascension Saint Thomas partnered with Kroger, the grocery retailer, to expand healthcare access in Middle Tennessee.

New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health announced on Oct. 8 the launch of LabFly, a mobile app through which patients can schedule blood tests in their homes or at work.

It’s no secret: American hospitals have a bad debt problem. Since 2000, hospitals have collectively provided more than $620 billion in uncompensated care, according to numbers published in January 2019 by the American Hospital Association. On a more granular level, about one-third of all hospitals hold bad debt in excess of $10 million, according to a 2018 survey of healthcare executives conducted by Sage Growth Partners.

Healthcare "consumerism" is finally taking off. For the past several years, the undeniable growth in patients' financial responsibility has fueled enormous change.

If administered at the right time and analyzed correctly, consumer evaluations can not only demonstrate how likely users are to recommend an organization's services, but also uncover operational vulnerabilities, according to the Harvard Business Review.

E-commerce platform Zulily announced on Oct. 2 the launch of its Best Price Promise tool, which will demonstrate to consumers how its discounts on clothing, household items and other goods compare to those of Amazon and Walmart.

Formerly launched only to drive marketing buzz, short-term shopping experiences have now become legitimate sources of revenue for the retail industry, Bloomberg reports — indicative of an overall trend that bodes well for hospitals' ambulatory strategies.

Smartphones are becoming a crucial component for patient engagement, helping hospitals receive feedback from patients about their visits, satisfaction with care teams and more, according to a recent Reaction Data report.

A new initiative will distribute Amazon Echo devices to seniors living in Baltimore's affordable housing communities to provide access to voice-assisted search for local free and reduced-cost social services.

The majority of consumers — 63 percent — are encouraged by the advantages of blockchain-based tokens used for payments, according to a KPMG survey. 

More than one-third of Americans now use the internet or mobile apps to compare pricing for healthcare services, representing a steady increase in online comparison shopping over the last several years, per a new UnitedHealthcare report.

New Hanover Regional Medical Center announced Sept. 24 the launch of its new mobile wayfinding platform which helps patients navigate facilities and appointment directions across the Wilmington, N.C.-based health system.

CVS Health is now offering Sleepio, an all-digital insomnia treatment app, to CVS Caremark pharmacy benefit management clients, The New York Times reports.

Nearly 50 percent of consumers rated their healthcare open enrollment experience as average or below average, with nearly a quarter saying they lacked confidence in the health plans and benefits in which they enrolled, per the annual Alegeus exit poll.

Though consumers and organizations agree that chatbots and voice assistants have greatly improved the consumer experience, many companies are still moving slowly to implement the technology.