Consumerism in Healthcare Essay

consumers indicate a positive outlook. It is believed that patients should have greater control over their healthcare decisions, given that they are paying for more of it. Nevertheless, healthcare experts anticipate challenges to arise from consumerism in 2016 (Healthcare, P 2004). Patients now desire fast and convenient services such as online payments, retail centers, and an enhanced patient experience. Hence, it is the duty of healthcare systems to ensure the implementation of these aspects.

Healthcare facilities are facing competition from major pharmacy chains and big-box retailers that are creating networks of walk-in clinics to make it easier for patients to access convenient care (Fichman 2011). To stay competitive with this consumerism trend, many hospitals are launching their own clinics, some in partnership with retail chains like Walgreens. The Advisory Board Company's recent Revenue Cycle Survey indicates that point-of-service collections have doubled in the past few years, but providers still need to improve. Christopher Kerns, Managing Director of Research and Insights at The Advisory Board, notes that collecting payment at or before the point of service is crucial because as time passes after care is delivered, a patient's willingness to pay significantly decreases.

Reference

1. Fichman, R. G., Kohli, R., ; Krishnan, R. (Eds.). (2011). Editorial overview-the role of information systems in healthcare: Current research and future trends. Information Systems Research, 22(3), 419-428.
2. Healthcare, P. (2004). Guest editorial introduction to the special section on pervasive healthcare. IEEE transactions on information technology in biomedicine, 8(3), 229.