Do You Have The Digital Services Your Patients Want?

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

A recent survey finds the majority of patients consider what digital tools a practice offers when choosing a physician.

Just over 60 percent of patients recently surveyed by Technology Advice said digital services play an important role when choosing a physician. According to MobiHealth News, while 62.6 percent of providers offer digital services, two of the most requested services (online appointment scheduling and online bill pay) were offered by less than 20 percent of providers. Patients’ most requested services also included the ability to view online test results.

iHealth Beat reports the survey also found:

• 32.8 percent of respondents said they wanted online test results, while 27.8 percent said their physicians offered them
• 29.3 percent said they wanted to schedule appointments online, while 19.7 percent said their physicians offered the service
• 25.1 percent said they wanted online bill pay tools, while 17.7 percent said their physicians offered them

Other technologies included health resources and education materials, mobile scheduling applications, and secure messaging outside of office hours.

“Smartphone apps for appointment scheduling, while the second least requested feature overall, ranked highly among younger and middle-aged respondents,” the study says. “Smartphone apps were the most requested feature among 18-24 year olds (48.4 percent said they wished their physician offered one), and were the second most requested feature among 25-34 and 35-44 year olds. Only 3.8 percent of respondents 65 and older, however, said they would like their physician to offer a smartphone app.”

Ironically, while health resources and education materials were the least requested service, they were the most widely offered.