Checking the Pulse of Today’s Healthcare Consumer: 5 Marketing Takeaways

 By Tom Charno, Senior Consumer Insights Strategist at TEGNA  

When it comes to marketing your healthcare brand, there’s one thing we at TEGNA have 20/20 vision on: practices of all shapes and sizes must really understand healthcare consumers’ attitudes, behaviors, and pain points to bring them to your brand for care and make them say “ah.”  

Sometimes, that’s easier said than done. We all know the pandemic knocked the healthcare industry off its heels, and as we emerge from the dark days of COVID, a few things have changed in the hearts and minds of those looking for quality care.  

 That’s why I’m excited to be sharing Checking the Pulse of Today’s Healthcare Consumer, a 2023 insights study, in partnership with Provoke Insights. We aim to equip industry marketers with new data and a prescription to capture audiences seeking health information and quality care.​ After all, by utilizing the most influential and trusted media channels and developing the right execution of messaging, healthcare brands can attract new patients and better position themselves as the vital choice in quality care. ​ 

5 Marketing Takeaways of Today’s Healthcare Consumer

1. Consumers are returning to in-person care compared to a year ago.

Not too surprisingly, the pandemic was the top reason consumers have put off care in the last three years. But what I find a bit shocking is that seven out of 10 people delay or avoid medical care for other reasons, including insufficient insurance, anxiety, and inconvenient office hours. 

However, the good news for us as marketers is that people feel more comfortable now living in a post-pandemic reality. Telehealth, or virtual medicine, saw major growth during lockdowns and restrictions, and that’ll taper off a little bit as fewer people are planning those kinds of appointments. As a result, the number of people making in-person routine appointments will increase, which is good news for the industry.  

• However, dental and vision have some work to do. Only about half of consumers are making in-person appointments. There’s an opportunity to grow here, and dental practices will benefit from getting in front of consumers with the right campaign to bring those patients back into the fold.  

2. Consumers have insurance insecurity.

Although the national uninsured rate is at an all-time low of 8%, many still feel their insurance coverage is insufficient for quality medical care. Generally speaking, this group comprises lower-income underinsured adults who earn less than $50K. They are more likely than the average person to delay medical care and four times more likely than those with $100K+ incomes not to plan any appointments this year. Additionally, they’re more likely to have had a negative experience during their last medical visit.

But there is light at the end of the tunnel. They believe the healthcare experience can be improved with payment plan options and cost transparency. So brands will be wise to engage this group by providing messaging on transparency.  

3. Shifting consumer expectations translate to an explosion in disruptors to traditional healthcare.

This is where we’re seeing some big changes. Like many industries, healthcare is not immune (no pun intended) from staffing issues, which cause longer wait times and major inconveniences. It’s not what consumers have grown to expect in our modern world.

 Telehealth rates better in quality of care than in-person visits, with the belief that it’s more convenient, especially for groups like working parents or younger professionals. The same reason can be given for why urgent care facilities are also preferred for those groups. 

As a result of these changing expectations, you may have noticed that several chain drug stores now offer a full-service clinic right near the vitamins, down the aisle from the Russell Stovers. 

Prepare to see more of that this year and in the years ahead. These clinics are solving a problem that exists among consumers, providing convenience and increasing medical care access to populations who otherwise would have difficulty getting the care they need.

4. What’s the difference?

Consumer knowledge regarding the hospitals in their area isn’t where it needs to be, as we found that less than half of patients understand the difference between their local hospitals. When creating a hospital advertising strategy, it’s important to consider this gap in consumer knowledge.

How can we help educate these patients? We found that local news is helping to move the needle. These viewers are more likely to understand what makes hospitals unique, especially as local news provides its viewers with information on health trends – which leads us to our final takeaway.  

5. Consumers learn about the latest health trends and information from local news.

Local news is pivotal in educating communities on health trends and local medical information. We found that local news is preferred to cable news and network broadcast news and is also seen as trustworthy and caring. 

For healthcare brands, this means two things. One, they will benefit from aligning content with their local news station to educate audiences on differentiators and the importance of your practice. Two, a local news station’s credibility extends to the brands which advertise within local news content – called the news halo effect.  

Final Thoughts and Marketing Recommendations

Beyond these five takeaways, Checking the Pulse of Today’s Healthcare Consumer offers insights on specific specialties like elective care and wellness, what exceeds patient expectations, where there’s still room for improvement, and much more.  

With these five takeaways, we want to make actionable recommendations and hopefully lead to a successful partnership with us here at TEGNA. See our 5 Prescriptions to Help Your Healthcare Brand Alleviate Consumer Pain Points.

Sound Good? Partner with TEGNA Today

Let us help you move the needle. Let’s get in touch and talk about how we can help your healthcare brand navigate this rapidly changing industry to make today’s healthcare consumer say “ah.”