2023 Patient Consumer Survey

JLL conducted a national patient survey of over 4,000 U.S. residents from April 19, 2023 to April 28, 2023 to uncover a current view into healthcare consumer behavior and how real estate impacts the patient experience.

Baby Boomers were more likely to seek medical care than other generations.

Over 70% of Baby Boomers received primary / preventative care. Millennials and Gen Z were more likely to report receiving urgent care, emergency care and outpatient behavioral health than other generations. The younger the generation, the less likely to use primary care – a wait-until-it-breaks model vs. regular maintenance. A consistent relationship with a primary care provider has been shown to improve health outcomes, lower healthcare costs and reduce emergency room visits, but low provider supply compared with population growth contributed to reduced access to primary care, especially for an appointment for an urgent need¹.

What does this mean for providers? Increase convenience of urgent and primary care. Younger populations seek medical care on a more reactive basis, waiting for an urgent or emergency need rather than regular primary care services. Older generations are more likely to have a consistent relationship with a provider due to more frequent care needs, and smaller locations with primary care providers can allow convenient access to primary care.

To cater to these demographic preferences in types of care:

• Providers can increase urgent and standalone emergency care near younger populations to improve access and wait times

• Make it easier to find or schedule same-day with a primary care provider

• Increase transparency of costs for sick visits for urgent and primary care, as younger generations with less savings may postpone care due to concerns about cost

• Increase the focus on value-based care, enabling young people to be connected to a healthcare provider for their overall wellness, thus reducing costs

Convenience continues to be key.

Location/proximity ranked as the second–most–likely factor in the top five for all types­ of care aside from outpatient behavioral health (for which it ranked third). This is consistent with prior surveys – in the 2022 survey, 70% of respondents found location convenience either very or extremely important.

When care is needed urgently, decision factors are simplified, and location/proximity ranked even more highly than most other types of care. For urgent care and emergency care, insurance, location/proximity, wait time and past experience were most important. Reputation, physical accessibility and hospital network were all not as important for these care types.

The shift in sites of care means patient volumes are increasing for outpatient services and decreasing for inpatient, prioritizing convenience.