Solutioning The Consumer Journey In Healthcare: It’s Time To Recognize Reality

I once heard a healthcare industry professional say, “We expect people to buy healthcare like they buy washing machines.” The problem is that the consumer journey in healthcare is much more complicated than such a straightforward retail purchase. It’s inherently messy, full of unforeseeable and often unwelcome twists, from a new diagnosis to undesirable treatment side effects. Unfortunately, many of the solutions designed to improve the patient journey tend to discount this inherent messiness.

One critical distinction that sets healthcare apart from other areas is the harsh reality of the unchosen journey. Some healthcare journeys, like seeing a doctor for a simple preventive care visit, are chosen. The person wants to remain healthy or be healthier, and there is an intrinsic motivation to take action.

Other healthcare journeys—like getting cancer, having a heart attack, or receiving a chronic illness diagnosis—are unchosen. When it comes to these journeys, the unchosen element colors everything about the journey and how people navigate it. Individuals are often under great stress, and their executive functions are diminished as they attempt to figure out the path forward. Such unchosen journeys require far greater delicacy, empathy, and support.

Recognizing the Reality of the Consumer Journey in Healthcare

As AI and other technologies lead to innovation in the healthcare space, people often ask me about the impact. While I acknowledge that such advances can help improve healthcare, supporting everything from improved data analysis to real-time interventions and predictive modeling, I always add a word of caution: just because the technology has changed doesn’t mean that consumer behavior has changed. And in healthcare, like in most industries, one of the primary drivers of consumer behavior is convenience.

Even in the face of an unchosen healthcare journey, people tend to value convenience—perhaps even more so when they’re feeling overwhelmed. They may seek the geographically closest care provider, even if that isn’t the best one for their needs, or skip treatments due to fear of side effects or a lack of convenience, even if those treatments can be lifesaving.

Over my decades in healthcare, I’ve often heard the narrative of the “bad patient.” In reality, that “bad” patient is more likely overwhelmed and confused, left to decipher both medical jargon and insurance terms (deductible, copay, coinsurance, preauthorization, etc.) on their own. This leaves them grasping for comfort in whatever way they can—for example, in the form of convenience.

In such instances, clinically informed human guidance becomes critical, especially when it comes to unchosen healthcare journeys. As an individual grapples with the dual blows of a difficult health situation and an inherently complex system, a compassionate human guide can help them make sense of it all.

Adapting to the Reality of the Healthcare Journey

Instead of blaming “bad patients,” what happens if we assume positive intent? It quickly becomes clear that the system is failing patients, not the other way around. And while the messiness of a healthcare journey, especially an unchosen one, can’t be eliminated, it can be navigated. By solutioning the consumer journey in healthcare, we can meet people where they are and help them navigate the mess with less stress.

Early intervention is important. Consider, for example, that most big decisions in a new diagnosis, such as which physician to see, surgery, etc., are made within the first 14 days of a confirmed diagnosis. Solutions that capture the patient at this early stage, rather than waiting for past claims data to be processed, can help connect them with the right care at the right time—reducing stress, avoiding unnecessary costs, and improving outcomes.

This convenience needs to be combined with humanity. Removing friction and simplifying access is only half the battle. In unchosen journeys in particular, some level of emotional support is often needed to guide patients through the healthcare maze. Further, people often need support for clinical and non-clinical challenges, at the same time and in the same conversation. It shouldn’t be an either/or scenario.

Healthcare Is a Lot More Complicated Than Buying a Washing Machine

As new technologies continue to flood the healthcare market, there’s a lot of discussion about simplifying and streamlining. However, when we try to make healthcare as straightforward as buying a washing machine, we are already setting ourselves up for failure. Instead, we need to embrace the messiness and acknowledge the uncertainty inherent in much of healthcare, especially those scary, unchosen journeys.

This approach will allow us to build systems that promote both convenience and humanity. It’s not just about intercepting patients early but about supporting them consistently throughout the process, guiding them through the complexity to find clarity. When we finally do that, we will stop seeing “bad patients” and start seeing real humans who are trying their best. Technology can then be configured to reflect the realities of the consumer journey in healthcare, rather than oversimplifying it.