January 14, 2021, SANTA MONICA, Calif. — PatientPop, the market leader in practice growth technology, today released the results of its updated 2021 PatientPop patient perspective survey. The nationwide survey highlights the current and evolving attitudes of medical and dental patients during the global COVID-19 pandemic.
“Healthcare practices face a range of industry pressures each year, but the pandemic has dwarfed the usual challenges,” said Jared Jost, Vice President of Marketing at PatientPop.
“While providers adjusted to business reductions, temporary closures, re-opening plans and phases, new safety protocols, and personal protective equipment requirements, patients also adjusted to new ways to communicate and attend appointments with their doctors.”
At the start of the pandemic, many patients had their first telehealth visit, as more providers began to offer virtual care when state stay-at-home requirements were in place. Later during the state re-opening phase, patients experienced new ways to register, check-in, attend, and follow up on their medical appointments.
The PatientPop survey reveals how patients feel about these changes. Most notable is that more patients continue to embrace a streamlined, digital experience, and many feel relatively safe returning to their doctors’ offices.
Roughly three-quarters of people surveyed said they had a healthcare appointment scheduled between December 2020 and February 2021.
Survey participants said they feel relatively safe returning to their doctor’s offices. More than 83 percent of patients with in-person visits over the next couple of months are planning to go, while only 15.8 percent aren’t sure or won’t attend due to COVID-19 concerns.
On the other hand, more than 95 percent of participants with telehealth appointments in early 2021 said they plan to attend, making them 14 percent more likely to show up than patients with in-person appointments.
The survey addressed several other aspects of patient attitudes and plans regarding their healthcare appointments. Key findings include:
- In December 2020, more than three-quarters of patients said they feel at least mostly safe visiting their healthcare provider. Nearly one in four patients said they feel hesitant about a visit, or do not feel safe.
- With safety protocols in place at practices, 31.5 percent of patients said they feel very safe with an in-person healthcare visit. This is a 45.5 percent increase in this response to the same question asked in an August PatientPop survey of patients. This indicates patients have become more educated about or familiar with pandemic-related safety.
To see more key survey findings, visit the PatientPop blog.
About the survey
PatientPop surveyed 533 patients across the nation in December 2020, using the SurveyMonkey Audience program. Respondents were 55.9 percent female and 44.1 percent male, with a generally even distribution across four age segments, ages 18 and older.
To learn how PatientPop is driving the healthcare industry’s practice growth category, visit patientpop.com.
About PatientPop
PatientPop is the leader in practice growth with the all-in-one solution that empowers healthcare providers to improve every digital touchpoint of the patient journey. As experts in the healthcare technology space, PatientPop makes it easy for providers to promote their practice online, attract patients, and retain them for life.
With a commitment to continuous innovation, PatientPop helps practices attract more patients, manage their online reputation, modernize the patient experience, automate their front office, and integrate with the most widely used EMRs for a holistic approach to practice growth. For more information, visit patientpop.com.
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