Navigation difficulties were cited as the top reason patients switched healthcare providers, according to an Oct. 18 report from the professional services company Accenture.
The Accenture 2021 Patient Experience Benchmark Survey asked more than 10,000 Americans 18 and older about how their healthcare providers performed across 10 key healthcare consumer touchpoints. The survey was conducted between October and November 2021. Read more about the methodology here.
The top three factors causing patients to switch providers:
1. Ease of navigation - 78 percent. Switching factors included difficulties in doing business, bad experiences with administrative staff and inadequate digital services.
2. Clinical experience/expertise - 40 percent. Switching factors included bad experience with a physician or member of the care team, referred to a better provider by a trusted person and found someone more expert for clinical needs.
3. Convenience - 8 percent. Switching factors included inconvenient appointment hours, inability to get appointments quickly, locations were inconvenient to work or home.