Healthcare Self-Service Consumer Research, an NCR White Paper ...

Are you ready to improve patient
satisfaction and increase revenue?
NCR U.S. Consumer Research reveals that patients want
self-service to manage healthcare interactions.
An NCR White Paper
2009
Experience a new world of interaction
© 2009 NCR Corporation

Patients frustrated with long waits 1
New consumer research commissioned by NCR
Corporation reveals that patients are growing
increasingly frustrated with long waits at physicians’
offices and hospitals and are looking to self-service
technology as a way to help expedite these interactions.
Hospitals and clinics that leverage self-service via kiosks,
online and mobile applications to reduce the time and
effort required for patients to schedule appointments,
pay medical bills and complete registration forms
will have an opportunity to drive loyalty and increase
patient volume in this competitive marketplace.
As more patients participate in consumer-directed care
plans, they are taking greater responsibility for their
medical expenses and overall health management. This
shift has empowered today’s healthcare consumers to
exercise greater choice when selecting a healthcare
provider. As a result, patients now seek the same
level of convenience they have come to expect from
retailers, hotels, banks and airlines, and that includes
access to self-service tools. At the same time, healthcare
providers face the dual challenges of rising costs and
declining reimbursement, requiring them to look for
innovative ways to attract and retain patients and gain
a competitive advantage.
To help hospitals and clinics better understand what
patients want from their healthcare providers in this
new era of consumer-directed care, NCR commissioned
consumer research to provide insight into what motivates
patients when determining where to seek care.
Methodology:
NCR commissioned BuzzBack
Research, a leading international
market research firm headquartered in
New York City, to conduct this survey
of 500 U.S. consumers.
NCR Confidential Proprietary

Top line research highlights
As the following top line data shows, the rise of
consumerism in healthcare is impacting how patients
choose their healthcare providers and how they
manage their care.
Healthcare trends and preferences
Consumers were asked about their current frustrations
with healthcare appointments, interactions with
healthcare staff, reasons to choose one provider
over another, convenience of self-service options,
explanations for missing a healthcare appointment and
interest in managing healthcare appointments via a
kiosk or mobile device.
Research findings
Multi-channel self-service solutions: 72 percent of
consumers are more likely to choose a healthcare
provider that offers the flexibility to interact via online,
mobile and kiosk self-service channels over a provider
that does not.
Wait times lower satisfaction: 76 percent of consumers
find waiting at a hospital or doctor’s office the greatest
frustration they face at a healthcare appointment.
Provider choice: All things being equal, 61 percent said
they would choose one provider over another based on
the appointment scheduling process.
Patient convenience:
When it comes to convenience, patients want to spend
less time on routine tasks like scheduling appointments,
paying medical bills and completing forms. A significant
number are looking to conduct transactions with their
healthcare provider online or through a mobile device.
• 62 percent of consumers expressed interest
in booking or changing medical appointments
online, through a mobile device or at a kiosk
and receiving text message reminders of an
appointment.
• 54 percent of consumers said the ability
to book an appointment online would
be convenient to them.
• 31 percent of consumers said it would be
convenient to be able to pay outstanding
balances online or via a mobile device.
2
NCR Confidential Proprietary

Key insights
The research findings provide insights into the opinions
and attitudes of patients, from which hospitals and
clinics can develop and implement strategies to increase
patient satisfaction and strengthen loyalty. The three
key insights are:
1. Fast. Providing online, mobile and kiosk self-
service options can help healthcare providers meet
growing patient demand for quick and convenient
interactions.
2. Easy. Simplifying the process of scheduling
appointments, paying bills and completing forms
increases patient satisfaction, drives revenue and
gives healthcare providers a competitive advantage.
3. Transformative. Integrating self-service solutions,
via online, mobile and kiosk channels, is vital to
attracting and retaining patients.
Booking an
appointment online
Securely receiving
lab results online
Seeing and managing personal health
information on the internet
Receiving a text message notification
if an appointment becomes available
at short notice
Paying outstanding balances
online or via a mobile phone
Insight #1
Which of the following would be convenient to use in
managing your healthcare?
32%
31%
43%
Providing multi-channel self-service solutions through the
Internet, mobile devices and kiosks allows hospitals and clinics
to meet growing patient demand for quick and convenient
interactions with healthcare providers.
The data shows that patients want to interact with providers
in a way that is most convenient for them, whether booking
an appointment online or receiving a text message on a
mobile device when an appointment becomes available at
short notice. The research also illustrates that patients are
interested in utilizing the Internet, mobile devices and kiosks
to manage a variety of transactions, including lab results
delivery and bill payment.
54%
54%
3
Patients are most interested
in booking appointments and
receiving lab results online.
NCR Confidential Proprietary

Insight #2
By making it easier for patients to schedule and check
in for appointments, pay bills and complete medical
forms, healthcare providers have an opportunity
to increase patient satisfaction, improve revenue
and attain a competitive advantage in the local
marketplace.
The research reveals that patients are most frustrated
by the long wait times they encounter at hospitals
and physician offices. In addition, they are
inconvenienced by the time and effort required
to manage everyday interactions, like scheduling
appointments and paying outstanding balances, and
would like to spend less time on these activities. By
offering multi-channel self-service solutions, healthcare
organizations can improve patient flow and revenue
cycle management by expediting routine healthcare
processes like collecting balances and co-pays.
Waiting at a doctor’s
office or hospital
Re-entry of personal data
or health history
Insurance authorization
requirements
Completing and signing
paper forms
Queuing to speak with
a staff member
None of the above.
Which of the following occurrences at a healthcare appointment
do you find frustrating?
10%
31%
40%
54%
50%
Seventy-six percent of respondents
find waiting at a hospital or doctor’s
76%
office the greatest frustration at a
healthcare appointment.
4
NCR Confidential Proprietary

Insight #3
Integrating self-service solutions via online, mobile
and kiosk channels is vital to attracting patients and
provides a key point of differentiation for hospitals and
clinics.
In fact, a majority of patients want self-service solutions
and will choose the healthcare provider that offers
these solutions over one that does not. As patients
are empowered with greater responsibility when it
comes to their choice of care provider, this finding
underscores the importance of deploying self-service as
a business strategy to help create a consistent, seamless
patient experience at every step of the care process.
By providing a positive patient experience, healthcare
providers can build loyalty among existing patients
while attracting new ones, resulting in increased
patient volume.
How likely are you to choose a healthcare provider that offers you the
flexibility to interact easily via online, mobile and kiosk self-service
channels versus a provider that doesn’t?
17%
11%
55%
17%
72%
Much less likely
Somewhat less likely
Somewhat more likely
Much more likely
Seventy-two percent of
respondents are more likely
to use healthcare providers
that offer self-service.
5
NCR Confidential Proprietary

Conclusion
The steady rise in the number of patients enrolled in
consumer-directed care plans makes it increasingly
important for hospitals and clinics to effectively
compete in the local marketplace. While a patient’s
choice of healthcare provider was once determined by
geography, today’s patients have greater choice – and
they are choosing to stay loyal to those healthcare
providers that provide the best overall patient
experience.
The research supports the case that utilizing self-
service technology to enhance the patient experience is
becoming an imperative to drive customer preference
and loyalty. Data clearly indicates that patients are
frustrated by the time and effort required to manage
routine interactions, such as scheduling appointments,
paying bills and completing paperwork, and they want
to spend less time on these tasks. The research also
reveals that patients want better access to information
about their care.
Automating patient interactions not only addresses
consumer demand, it also serves as the entry point for
electronic record keeping – a key initiative underway at
healthcare organizations nationwide. As more hospitals
and clinics move to implement electronic health
records, the benefits of self-service become even more
widespread.
To find out more about how you can integrate self-
service into your facility, contact your local NCR sales
representative today.
6
NCR Confidential Proprietary

Why NCR?
With over 125 years of experience, NCR is a leading global
provider of assisted- and self-service solutions. We help our
healthcare clients around the world improve their patient
interactions, implement change quickly and proactively, and
transform their organizations to become leaders and change
agents. We can help you, too.
NCR Corporation
1700 S. Patterson Blvd
Dayton, Ohio 45479
USA
For more information visit:
www.ncr.com/healthcare
Experience a new world of interaction
NCR continually improves products as new technologies and components become available. NCR, therefore, reserves the right to change specifications without prior notice.
All features, functions and operations described herein may not be marketed by NCR in all parts of the world. Consult your NCR representative or NCR office for the latest information.
All brand and product names appearing in this document are trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks of their respective holders.
© 2009 NCR Corporation Patents Pending EB10137-0409 www.ncr.com