14 minute read 29 Jun. 2023
Black man and son in their home together to work on finance

How to give health consumers the access and experience they value most

Authors
Jenny Parker

EY Oceania Health and Life Sciences Leader

Improving health services sustainability strategies. Two wonderful children. Avid walker and baker.

Sheryl Coughlin

EY Oceania Health and Wellness Research Leader

Improving healthcare by thinking about tomorrow, today. Author. Art and gallery enthusiast.

Contributors

Darren Chua,

 

Stuart Painter,

 

Nathan Freebody
14 minute read 29 Jun. 2023
Related topics Health Health Sciences and Wellness
Upvote

Show resources

The EY Global Consumer Health Survey 2023 finds consumers value access most, but also want cost-effective care and relief from pain and anxiety.

In brief
  • The survey finds consumers prefer in-person care to virtual, meaning the virtual experience should be refined to cater to consumer segments.
  • Ease of using health care services, access, and getting the right balance between hospitals, primary and community care are top drivers of health care performance, according to consumers.
  • Consumers highly value access to care. However, many Australians rated access to care as average (24%) or below average (23%).

What do Australian consumers value in health care? They want access to care when they or a family member need it. They want a cost-effective system and relief from pain and anxiety. Consumers perceive access to care as having the most value. The EY Global Consumer Health Survey 2023 found 53% of Australian consumers in the survey said their health system offered good, very good or excellent access to care.

To better understand what consumers value in health care, in early 2023, EY researchers surveyed more than 6,000 consumers across six countries: Australia, Canada, England, Germany, Ireland and the United States with the majority having had contact with the health care system in the previous 12 months. Read the full EY Global Consumer Health Survey 2023 Key Findings Report.

Value in health care is deeply anchored in the responsibilities of providers and payers for overall cost and quality outcomes. Specifically, accounting for whole-of-person care through quality-linked payments, the distribution of risk and tools that drive care coordination, improve quality and financial efficiency.

But to look at value only through the lens of providers and payers leaves the consumer — the most important participant in health care — out of the value equation. We know activated, engaged patients are more likely to comply with their care plans and make behavioural decisions in support of their health.

Whose responsibility?

Overall, the Australian survey respondents believe the responsibility for good health lies with individuals (48%) or is a shared responsibility with their medical providers (40%). One in eight (12%) puts that responsibility with medical experts. Individuals who believe that medical experts are in charge of achieving overall good health tend to have poor or fair health, chronic conditions and are in lower income brackets.

Who’s interacting more with the system?

Fifty-six percent of respondents are more proactive with their health and undertake medical checkups. Those who claim to have good, very good or excellent health (60%) are more likely to have consulted a medical professional in the past 12 months for a routine checkup. In the future, these proactive individuals are slightly more inclined to consider monitoring their health using technologies such as genetic testing (74% vs. 72% overall) or personalised medications (69% vs. 67% overall).

How are they treated?

Close to four in five (79%) say they are treated with empathy, courtesy and respect, and over three-quarters (77%) say care plans are explained in ways that can be easily understood. A majority (87%) rated the handling of patient privacy as good, very good or excellent.

What drives health system performance from a consumer point of view?

Close to two-thirds of Australian respondents in the EY Global Consumer Health Survey 2023 say the Australian health care system offers above-average performance, while 17% believe the health system performs below average.

Health system performance:

64%

of Australian consumers surveyed consider their health system performance to be above average

Health system performance:

17%

of Australian survey respondents consider their health system performance to be below average

    Many said the health system performs well in critical areas, such as being up to date with the latest treatments and innovations. Introducing the latest medical treatments and innovations (60%) and optimising the overall health experience regardless of race, location or personal circumstance (56%) are perceived as strong features of the health system.

    Considering that consumers put the most emphasis on access when it comes to value, 53% of Australian respondents in the survey said the health system offered good, very good or excellent access to care, compared to only 37% of global consumers sharing this view.

    What drives health system performance?

    For consumers, there are three factors:

    • Ease of using health care services
    • Access to care
    • Improving the health of the community

    Health systems have the opportunity to improve their performance in the eyes of their consumers by focusing on these drivers

    Drivers of perceived health care system performance among respondents from all surveyed countries

    To better understand what drives positive perceptions of the performance of health care systems, a driver analysis was undertaken that estimates the relative importance of different factors in determining the perceived performance of the health care system.

    • ACCESSIBILITY CHART DESCRIPTION:

      This chart displays drivers of perceived health care system performance among respondents from all surveyed countries: Australia, Canada, England, Germany, Ireland and the United States. Percentage ratings of each individual driver of performance are as follows:

       

      Drivers of performance All countries Australia Canada England Germany Ireland United States
      Ease of using health care services 14 14 15 15 13 13 14
      Access to care 13 15 14 14 8 12 14
      Improving health of the community 11 11 12 10 14 10 13
      Customer service 11 10 12 15 13 11 10
      Value for money spent overall 11 11 11 8 11 13 10
      Right balance between hospitals, GPs and community care 10 14 10 11 10 10 9
      Optimization of health experience for all regardless of race, location or personal circumstances 9 8 10 8 10 10 9
      Introducing latest treatments, drugs and medical innovations 9 8 7 8 11 9 9
      Mental health is of equal importance as other health issues 6 6 5 6 5 6 7
      Environmental sustainability of health care system          4 3 5 4 4 5 6

    What are key differences among consumer segments?

    Consumers vary in their views on who is responsible for their health, whether they are making decisions for the present or the future and how involved they are in medical decision-making, giving rise to personas that health systems can use to understand how to better approach the community.

    For example, the largest consumer segment emerging from the EY survey findings is among those who trend older, may be retired, and pay attention to their health to avoid getting sick in the future, even if they tend to be in good health with no chronic conditions. Digitally agile, 64% rated their digital skills as above average with only 6% considering their digital capabilities as below average. This segment, referred to as mature altruists, believes medical experts and individuals are both equally responsible for overall good health. Mature altruists are engaged, with close to two-thirds (60%) feeling fully included in medical decisions about them. With data insights about this population and their preferences, health systems can design access and experience strategies that make sense for this group.

    Consumer wants and needs vary, spotlighting opportunities for more nuanced engagement strategies.

    An analysis of Australian consumer responses to the EY survey spotlighted six consumer segments with varying degrees of participation in their health care, openness to virtual and decision-making styles. They also take different views on who is ultimately responsible for their health.

    • ACCESSIBILITY CHART DESCRIPTION:

      This chart displays the percentages of respondents from all six surveyed countries who identify with certain characteristics. The percentages are grouped by six identified persona groups among survey respondents identified as “All About Health-Self-reliant and future-focused,” “Price Conscious Experience Hunters - Self-reliant and present or future-focused,” “Mature Altruists-Shared responsibility and future-focused,” “Experience First Youngsters - Shared responsibility and equally present and future-focused,” “In The Moment Strugglers - Medical expert reliant and present-focused,” and “The Blended - Medical expert reliant and future-focused.” The findings are as follows:

      Consumer persona I have above-average digital skills I am open to sharing my health data I would consider virtual for certain care I have overall good health
      “All About Health” 66 70 46 81
      “Price Conscious Experience Hunters” 56 65 46 69
      “Mature Altruists” 64 78 48 76
      “Experience First Youngsters” 51 65 37 67
      “In The Moment Strugglers” 50 76 24 76
      “The Blended” 47 76 34 63

    Why do consumers still prefer in-person to virtual care, and how do they perceive data sharing?

    In the EY survey findings, similar to their global counterparts, Australian consumers generally viewed face-to-face consultations more positively than virtual consultations, especially when it came to:

    • The ability to show the health condition to professionals (88%)
    • Developing a personal connection with the medical practitioner (80%)
    • The overall quality of the consultation (73%)
    • Being given the confidence that their health concerns can be taken care of (67%)

    Consumer preference – discussing test results:

    60%

    Would consider virtual to discuss test results

    Consumer preference – forming connection:

    80%

    Prefer in-person to form a personal connection

    However, virtual consultations have a role to play, in particular when someone doesn’t want to wait for an in-person appointment (32%) and for convenience (34%). In Australia, over two in five (43%) are willing to consider a virtual consultation, especially in these situations:

    • Renew a prescription (70%)
    • Discuss test results (60%)
    • Save time (54%)
    • For a minor medical condition (53%)

    In the survey, consumers also indicated openness to data sharing. Overall, nearly three-quarters (72%) of the survey respondents would agree to have their medical information automatically shared electronically with the different places they receive medical care. But they made clear they want to know upfront how that personal health information is protected and used (82% agree/strongly agrees).

    What will they agree to share?

    • Biometric data (such as blood pressure or glucose) - 79%
    • Dietary or nutritional information - 74%
    • Lifestyle choices (such as smoking or drinking) - 72%
    • Patient-reported outcomes - 68%
    • Genetic information - 66%

    As for the profile of those who are more open to sharing, those with a chronic health condition (76%) and those aged 65 years or more (77%) are more likely to agree to have their information shared. Individuals are more likely to share information for research purposes, (68% agree), as opposed to helping pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers improve the effectiveness of their products (52%).

    What do consumers view as the future of health care?

    The future of wellness can only be realised by embracing emerging technologies to bring care closer to the consumer wherever they are. So how open are consumers to concepts such as hospital at home and genetic testing that will power the future of health and wellness? The EY survey found:

    • 72% are prepared to take a genetic test to assess predispositions to diseases
    • 67% are open to taking medication that matches their genetic profile
    • 66% are willing to be treated via a hospital-in-the-home program
    • 65% are also prepared to access health care services in non-health facilities (i.e., home or store)
    • 65% are open to using wearable devices to collect their health information (blood pressure or blood glucose) and send it to the doctor

    On the other hand, individuals are less open to using products defined as “high tech” to treat a health condition, such as smart pills that travel with the bloodstream and transmit messages to their phones, with 45% being prepared to use them.

    Key actions for health organisations

    The survey findings spotlight key opportunity zones for health systems. The biggest opportunities lie in improving those aspects consumers rated as very important but where they rated their current health system as having lower performance (as shown in the matrix below).

    This analysis creates four quadrants defined by plotting the importance of the different aspects of the health care system (on the X axis) and rating those same statements (on the Y axis). This analysis can assist in identifying potential areas of opportunity to leverage.

    How EY can help

    Smart Health Solutions

    Smart health transforms how care is organised, optimising the health experience – a key differentiator in long‑term value for the health industry.

    Read more

    Where to focus efforts for improved consumer perceptions Australia. Expand the quadrant titles below the graph to learn more.

    • Maintain

      These aspects are highly rated in terms of health system performance but of lower importance. Changes in this quadrant are less likely to significantly drive overall satisfaction.

    • Leverage

      This is an area of strength. The characteristics can be further leveraged as consumers regard them as highly important and also rate the performance of these characteristics highly.

    • Monitor

      With low rating and relatively low importance to driving overall satisfaction, these aspects are to be monitored. They can become important in the future.

    • Prioritise

      The health care systems in the countries included in this research currently underperform on these aspects, which are considered by consumers as important overall to performance. There is an opportunity to improve perceptions of health care systems on these aspects.

    • ACCESSIBILITY CAPTION:

      This is a four-quadrant matrix chart ranking aspects of health care by both consumer ratings of the performance of their health care system on these aspects along the X axis and the consumer’s ratings of the importance of these same aspects along the Y axis. Based on their ranked performance and importance, the aspects fall into one of the four quadrants’ recommendations: prioritise, leverage, maintain or monitor. The four aspects in the prioritise quadrant are: access to care, right balance of hospitals, primary and community care, customer service, and value for money spent overall. The two aspects in the leverage quadrant are: ease of using health care services and improving health of the community. The three aspects in the maintain quadrant are: introducing latest drugs, treatments and medical innovations, optimisation of health experiences for all regardless of race, location or personal circumstances, and mental health is of equal importance as other health issues. The single aspect in the monitor quadrant is environmental sustainability of the health care system.

    Five clear priorities for health executives to give consumers the access and experience they value most:

    • 1. Reimagine how consumers access your system.

      With access to care being highly valued by consumers, health systems and organisations will need to think through how consumers engage with various touch points in the system. This includes taking clear steps towards closing the gap to build a fairer Australia - of healthcare for all, by bridging the digital divide and ensuring access to services, including vulnerable and hard to reach groups. Democratising access may mean partnering with others in the ecosystem to ensure a coordinated, complete approach to care throughout the patient’s entire health and care journey.

    • 2. Empower consumers with digital tools and technology.

      Intuitive digital tools that are simple and easy to use at home reduce some of the friction that consumers experience when engaging with health care systems. Digital tools at every point along the patient's health journey can ensure an integrated and coordinated approach to care. The survey reveals that to better manage their health and wellness consumers are open to wearables, remote monitoring and medications personalised to their genetic profile. Hospital-at-home is recognised by survey respondents as an up-and-coming core element of health care services in the next decade.

    • 3. Design better consumer experiences with data insights about your populations and their preferences.

      Data allows understanding of what matters most to consumers and how this drives choice making – vital as health care continues on its journey to become value-driven. Services should be designed from the perspective of ‘Humans at the Centre’, where care pathways and system level processes work for both patients and providers and are responsive to the different ways individuals navigate their health care journey. Anchor consumer engagement strategies in a deep understanding of the consumer and guided by data insights for personalised care and for understanding and responding to demand at the population level.

    • 4. Improve the virtual experience and integrate it seamlessly where it makes sense.

      The survey results suggest health organisations need to put further thought into what makes for an optimal virtual care experience in order to build trust and greater acceptance of virtual care. Building hybrid care models that integrate in-person and virtual care modalities will hinge on growing confidence in benefits realised and by successfully addressing consumer perceptions of virtual care, such as doubting the ability to bond with clinicians in a virtual consultation and quality concerns.

    • 5. Educate consumers on the value of data sharing.

      Consumers will readily share biometric, lifestyle and diet data but not financial data, considering this unhelpful for achieving better treatment outcomes. Good governance around data is essential to establish user trust (both consumer and clinician) and ensure that privacy and security are maintained. Yet at the same time, the right environment for innovation needs to be fostered to drive better health outcomes through preventative and personalised care. Consumers indicate that they are willing to share their data if it is managed safely and securely and used for a good purpose. Unlocking health data, in the public interest, will significantly depend upon growing public awareness of the value of data sharing and a social contract that builds trust and underpins consumer willingness to share their data with government and societal institutions.

    Special thanks to the following individuals who contributed greatly to the EY Global Consumer Health Survey 2023:

    Aishwarya Benjwal, EY Health Sciences and Wellness Analyst; Sheryl Coughlin PhD, EY Health Sector Analyst; Rachel Hall, EY US Consulting Digital Health and Smart Health Experience Leader; Kenny O’Neill, Principal, Digital Health Consulting, Ernst & Young LLP; Aakanksha Kaul, EY Health Sciences and Wellness Analyst; Crystal Yednak, EY Global Health Senior Analyst.

    Summary

    The EY Global Consumer Health Survey 2023 found that consumers highly value access to care. Health systems and organisations will need to think through how consumers engage with various touch points in the system. This includes taking clear steps towards closing the gap to build a fairer Australia - of healthcare for all, by bridging the digital divide and ensuring access to services, including vulnerable and hard-to-reach groups.

    Show resources

    • Download the full EY Global Consumer Health Survey 2023 Key Findings Report

      pdf (6 MB)

    About this article

    Authors
    Jenny Parker

    EY Oceania Health and Life Sciences Leader

    Improving health services sustainability strategies. Two wonderful children. Avid walker and baker.

    Sheryl Coughlin

    EY Oceania Health and Wellness Research Leader

    Improving healthcare by thinking about tomorrow, today. Author. Art and gallery enthusiast.

    Contributors

    Darren Chua,

     

    Stuart Painter,

     

    Nathan Freebody
    Related topics Health Health Sciences and Wellness
    Upvote