Health care technology impacts younger patient satisfaction

(HealthDay)—Health care communication technology is a determinant of patient satisfaction in younger patients, according to a report published by Black Book Market Research LLC.

Black Book collected over 57,000 viewpoints on information technology and outsourced vendor performance and provided interested sectors of the clinical technology industry with comprehensive comparison data.

According to the report, 89 percent of health care consumers younger than 40 polled in the survey reported being unsatisfied with the technology capabilities of the health care organizations with which they seek services. Most (84 percent) reported wanting the most technologically advanced and electronically communicative medical organizations available. Higher expectations were reported by younger health care consumers, who are more dissatisfied with their inpatient provider experience where complete medical records and telehealth options were not offered (92 and 85 percent dissatisfied, respectively). Most hospitals (78 percent) have not prioritized or budgeted more meaningful improvement in patient engagement, interoperability, or patient communications for the current year. Sixty-nine percent of those surveyed reported that the business office and insurance processes can be the most important moment when overall satisfaction of a hospital organization is concluded for satisfied patients. Overall, 88 percent of surveyed consumers blamed the hospital system directly for the lack of patient record portability and access among providers.

"Involvement with health care consumers through technologies is proving to be a significant element of patient satisfaction," Doug Brown, managing partner of Black Book Research, said in a statement.