Salesforce asked this question in its inaugural “State of the Connected Patient” survey, which gathered responses from more than 1,700 Americans who have health insurance and a primary care physician.
The survey indicates while healthcare is moving on a more digital trajectory, many patients still overwhelmingly communicate with providers and handle healthcare matters in person rather than digitally.
Here are seven things to know about patient-provider communication and the connected patient.
1. Review in person is still the most common way patients review health data from physicians, with 40 percent of respondents indicating they do so. Twenty-one percent said they review data on the web, 11 percent do by phone and 10 percent do by email.
2. Similarly, 44 percent of patients said they get test results from physicians in person, and 35 percent said they get test results by phone. Just 17 percent get test results on the Internet, 15 percent do so by mail and 12 percent do so by email.
3. Additionally, the majority of patients (62 percent) rely on their physicians to keep track of their health data. Approximately one-third of patients (36 percent) keep track of health data via electronic records, 28 percent do so via physical records and 9 percent believe no one keeps track of health data.
4. Paying medical bills is still largely done in person, with 38 percent of respondents doings so this way. Paying bills through traditional mail is a close second, with 29 percent of respondents saying they do so. Eight percent pay health bills on the Internet, and 5 percent pay them through email.
5. However, millennials may be coming in and shaking up healthcare delivery. Six out of 10 millennials want telehealth options, and seven out of 10 millennials want their physicians to use a mobile app.
6. When selecting a physician, 76 percent of millennials said they use online reviews from other patients.
7. The second most important criteria for millennials when selecting a physician is the ability to book appointments and pay bills online, with 74 percent indicating so.
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