Salesforce Delivers '2016 Connected Patient Report'

New research shows 62% of U.S. adults with health insurance and a primary care provider would be open to virtual care treatments such as a video conference call for non-urgent matters

78% of these patients who own a wearable would want their doctors to have access to data created by the device

61% of these patients who have been, or had a family member, hospitalized in the last two years say that post-discharge improvements can be made via better communication with their doctor and care team

News provided by

Salesforce

Jun 27, 2016, 08:00 ET

SAN FRANCISCO, June 27, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Salesforce [NYSE: CRM], the Customer Success Platform and world's #1 CRM company, today released its "2016 Connected Patient Report," surveying more than 1,700 U.S. adults who have health insurance and a primary care physician to understand how they communicate with their providers, their opinions on telemedicine and wearables, and their experiences post-discharge from the hospital.

The healthcare industry is in the midst of a titanic shift, with new regulations, changing reimbursement models and an increasingly tech-savvy patient base putting pressure on providers. In addition, new technologies, like wearable devices and telemedicine, are allowing people to take more of an active role in their own healthcare. The Salesforce "2016 Connected Patient Report" found that patients want to interact with their physicians in more modern and personal ways, and that providers who take advantage of these new trends set themselves up for success.  

The study was conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of Salesforce from June 8-10, 2016. To download the Salesforce "2016 Connected Patient Report," click here: https://www.salesforce.com/form/industries/2016-state-connected-patient.jsp. 

Key Report Findings

  • Health insured patients are satisfied with their primary care physicians, but aren't utilizing modern technologies to connect with them.
    • Ninety-one percent are satisfied with their primary care physician, but still use traditional channels when communicating with their doctors, such as setting up appointments in-person (23%) or over the phone (76%).
    • When it comes to keeping track of their health records, 62% of health-insured patients rely on their doctors to manage their data, while 29% -- including 35% of Baby Boomers (ages 55+) -- keep their records in a home-based physical storage location like a folder or shoebox.
    • Nearly half of health-insured patients (48%) report having the same doctor for the past 10 years, yet 33% feel their doctors would not recognize them walking down the street.
  • Patients are supportive of telemedicine and home-health monitoring, and these services are factors in whether they would choose a caregiver.
    • Sixty-two percent of health-insured patients agree that they would be open to virtual care treatments as an alternative to in-office doctor visits, such as video conference calls for non-urgent matters.
    • Fifty-nine percent of all health-insured patients -- and 70% of Millennials (ages 18-34) -- would choose a primary care physician who offers a patient mobile app (allowing patients to make appointments, see bills, view health data, etc.) over one that does not.
  • Patients want their doctors to have access to their wearable health tracking device data to provide more personalized care.
    • Seventy-eight percent of health-insured patients who own wearables want their doctors to have access to health data from these devices so providers can have more up-to-date views of their health (44%), use health data trends to be able to diagnose conditions before they become serious or terminal (39%), and give more personalized care (33%).
    • Sixty-seven percent of Millennials would be very or somewhat likely to use a wearable health tracking device given to them by their insurance companies in exchange for potentially better health insurance rates based on the data provided by the device.
  • Communication improvements can be made in the post-discharge process.
    • More than a quarter (26%) of health-insured patients have been hospitalized or have had a family member hospitalized within the last two years.
    • Based on these experiences, 61% of these adults say that improvements can be made in the post-discharge process, such as better communication between their primary doctors and other members of their care teams (38%).

Comment on the News

  • "Patients today are choosing their providers, in part, based on how well they use technology to communicate with them and manage their health," said Joshua Newman, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, GM, Salesforce Healthcare and Life Sciences. "Care providers who build deeper patient relationships through care-from-anywhere options, the use of wearables and better communications post-discharge, will be in a strong position to be successful today -- and into the future."
  • "With the widespread global prevalence of chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, both individuals and healthcare providers need new and innovative ways to reinforce healthier habits and stay connected," said Amy McDonough, Vice President and General Manager of Fitbit Group Health. "There's a clear opportunity for technology to close the gap on patient and provider communications, and platforms and ecosystems like Salesforce and Fitbit are already helping to make that a reality."

Additional Resources

Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of Salesforce from June 8-10, 2016 among 2,025 U.S. adults ages 18 and older, among whom 1,736 have health insurance and a primary care doctor. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Joel Steinfeld at [email protected]. To download the Salesforce "2016 Connected Patient Report," click here: https://www.salesforce.com/form/industries/2016-state-connected-patient.jsp. 

About Salesforce

Salesforce, the Customer Success Platform and world's #1 CRM, empowers companies to connect with their customers in a whole new way. For more information about Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), visit: www.salesforce.com.

Salesforce, Salesforce1 and others are among the trademarks of salesforce.com, inc. Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others. © 2015 salesforce.com. All rights reserved.

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