Cleveland Clinic has cut wait times and offers same-day appointments to woo younger patients in its millennial-friendly experience overhaul, according to an article on the Forbes website.
Millennials are a crucial generation of customers for healthcare to consider. They are 80 million strong in the U.S., making them larger than the baby boom block, and much larger than Generation X. Their expectations are different, being the first generation to take the internet and smartphones for granted, the article said.
For instance, a caller to the Cleveland Clinic will hear: “Thank you for calling Cleveland Clinic. Would you like to be seen today?”
Much of the wait times patients suffer through don’t add anything to successful clinical outcomes. The same-day appointment commitment required Cleveland Clinic to do an "extraordinary amount of work" to manage the patient flow, according to the article.
The same-day appointment commitment isn’t the only patient satisfaction change Cleveland Clinic has introduced. Others include appointments and information via mobile, chat online, doctors (after HIPAA waivers) corresponding with patients via email. Using telepresence for followup care with homebound patients. and more.