People Need mHealth Convenience, But Payers Are not Ready

8 in ten consumers would rather see their doctor online than in person, the mHealth convenience survey claims. But insurers are not prepared to make that an easy procedure.

A new study finds that people overwhelmingly prefer online interactions with their doctor over in-person visits, and they will even risk the security of their health information for the mhealth convenience.

In all, 8 out of every ten people surveyed by West Monroe Partners prefer real-time contact through a portal or mHealth app over a visit to the doctor’s office. And 31% have used an mHealth app in the last 2 years to talk to their doctor about a particular medical condition.

In accordance to the survey of more than 1,300 consumers, 86% are using their healthcare provider’s online portal, and two-thirds of those people whose doctors do not have a portal what their doctors to make that leap. The public claim for mHealth is even higher: 91% of those surveyed would use a mHealth app if they could.

The shift in people’s thinking is not lost on doctors.

“Healthcare providers are realizing the affect of digital communication channels and are beginning to adapt,” Will Hinde, senior director of healthcare for West Monroe Partners, claims in the report. “We are initiating to see more providers incorporate the digital experience with their office visit, by moving to more online scheduling of appointments, paperless office interactions, following up through e-mail, portals, and mobile apps and taking measures towards higher cost and quality transparency.”

The issue to mHealth convenience adoption comes not from those providing healthcare, but those holding the purse strings.

In accordance to the survey, 85% of payers are not sure their company has the technology in place to meet the needs of consumer, and 54% are not sure they have the procedures to create a mobile, consumer-centric platform.

Part of the challenge lies in what payers think their members want. Several currently offer awards, like gift cards, and redeemable points to prompt members to share their health data online. But with less than 50% of consumers surveyed saying they trust their doctor with their personal health information, those rewards are not cutting it.

“Provided the volume, scale, and visibility of healthcare-based cyberattacks, it is no surprise less than half of consumers (48%) entirely trust their provider with their personal data,” the study points out. “This deficiency of trust poses an important business hurdle for the roughly 70% of healthcare insurers presently offering rewards programs built around consumers sharing data collected from their health tracking devices and apps – which can assist insurers to provide more individualized care. Confronted with a customer base that is reticent to share personal health information, these insurers can seek their rewards programs stagnating, with customer retention, loyalty, and actionable data collection suffering as an outcome.”

In accordance to the survey, consumers will share their health information with doctors if the rewards are more meaningful – that means better rates, better service or convenient access to doctors.

The West Monroe Partners survey recommends that consumers are demanding mHealth convenience or easier online access to their doctors, and they will even forego a minor bit of privacy and security in exchange for cost savings. But healthcare providers are shifting too slowly to provide them that convenience, and the payer industry is even farther behind.