Here are six things you need to do now to build trust.
Though many people have cheered health care workers as heroes of the pandemic, the reality is that the system of health care isn't so beloved. Consumer trust is lower than ever at a time when competition is growing. When consumers shop for health care in retail clinics and use self-care sites instead of their physicians, that impacts the ability of traditional health system providers to stay afloat. And it can hurt continuity of care.
To regain consumer trust, health care providers must generate true partnerships between clinicians and their patients. At its core, this means that patients must be able to make health care decisions with good clinical and financial information. Traditional providers are now in competition with other sources of health information and experiences, and must appeal to consumers differently than in the past.
Any consumer approach starts with basic health literacy and information sharing. Health systems and accountable care organizations should understand that consumers want more information and data, and want to be at the decision table for their health.
Here's how to start.
Six Key Strategies to Build Trust
Finally, it's crucial to prioritize what consumers want most: real cost transparency. Consumers want to be taken seriously, treated respectfully, and have cost transparency. At the end of the day, consumers will not believe anything you say or do if they think your health system is hiding prices—especially as they're absorbing more of these costs.
CEO and Co-founder of Roji Health Intelligence, Theresa Hush is a health care strategist and change expert with experience across the health care spectrum, including public, non-profit and private sectors.
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