What The Report Includes

In 2020, the pandemic cost hospitals more than $22 billion in lost elective revenue as a result of delayed procedures. While many healthcare providers are busy working through backlogs of elective surgeries and treatments, 39% of patients said they don't plan to reschedule. To better understand this important population we conducted a nationwide survey of 617 recent and prospective patients, which identified some serious holes in providers’ approach to marketing and patient experience. The resulting report includes:

Pandemic Impact on Elective Care Patient Journey
5 Patient Insights & Marketing Opportunities
Unique Differences Based on Type of Speciality Provider
3 Personas for Marketing & CX Leaders

Digital Marketing & Customer Experience Insights For Healthcare Providers

There are significant opportunities for marketers and customer experience leaders to better engage with patients throughout their journey. We’ve identified the most impactful strategies for a variety of healthcare providers including:

Hospitals (Orthopedic, Vascular, etc.)
Oral & Dental
Cosmetic & Plastic
Med Spa & Weight Loss
Eye & Vision
Dermatology
Audiology
Chiropractic

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56%

of providers are not proactively following up with patients post-op.

Vital Importance of Post-Op Patient Engagement

While patients reported varying degrees of physical recovery based on type of procedure, overall only 39% were satisfied with the results. Yet it’s the quality of the complete experience – not just the quality of procedural outcome – that principally determines their feelings toward providers. The end really determines their satisfaction. That’s when 74% are telling friends and 33% are posting about their experience on social media. Prospective patients, in turn, are basing their perceptions of providers on this intelligence.

Ramp Up Patient Education Throughout the Journey

Fifty-nine percent (59%) of patients look for information about their procedure on a provider’s website and yet 44% felt the site didn’t answer their questions. In addition, 56% did not understand all the costs involved, a critical component when more than half are paying out of pocket for elective procedures.

Whether they’re researching procedures or evaluating providers, patients are forming a picture in their minds and setting their own expectations. Providers have an opportunity to take more ownership of and control over setting patient expectations before they interact one-on-one.

"Providers should focus marketing based on people, not procedures, according to a real-life patient journey that’s much longer than the short window immediately before and after a procedure."

— Lauren Hillery, Director of Brand Strategy - LaneTerralever