How consumers feel about healthcare

For the report, Monigle surveyed 26,450 U.S. consumers between November and December of 2023. Those surveyed were identified as the healthcare decision-makers for their household who have received medical care in the past two years and have health insurance. Seventy percent of respondents had private insurance while 30% had government insurance, excluding Medicaid.

According to Monigle, healthcare engagement has increased in 2024. "Wellness has re-emerged as a central tenet to happiness," the report said. "COVID caused what appears to be a temporary shakeup in our thinking and our priorities. And it seems that things have settled today."

Monigle found that increases in engagement occurred among all attributes of the report's engagement index. According to the report, "people are more interested in health and wellness topics, they are working on their health-related goals, and they value holistic solutions to the challenges they face."

However, distrust of healthcare providers remains a significant issue, and one that has a stark difference when broken down by generation, the report found.

Nearly half of Gen Z respondents said they don't always trust their physicians to make the right decisions for them, compared to just under a quarter of baby boomers.

According to the report, the number one driver of trust among Gen Z respondents is "empathy and kindness" followed by "responsiveness when contacted." Those two factors were not among the top two drivers of trust among any other generation.

The 10 most-trusted healthcare brands

According to Monigle, the 10 most-trusted healthcare brands are:

1. Mayo Clinic
2. Johns Hopkins Medicine
3. Houston Methodist
4. Emory Healthcare
5. UCLA Health
6. Cedars-Sinai
7. UAB Medicine
8. Memorial Hermann
9. University of Miami Health System
10. The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

Monigle also ranked the top humanizing healthcare brands based on consumer opinion and a composite score from the Humanizing Brand Experience model, weighted by healthcare engagement in each market:

1. University of Iowa Health Care
2. OhioHealth
3. UAB Medicine
4. Mass General Brigham
5. Northwestern Medicine
6. Johns Hopkins Medicine
7. Mayo Clinic
8. The University of Kansas Health System
9. University of Utah Health
10. UR Medicine

5 things health systems can do to improve their brand

Monigle provided five key takeaways from their report for health systems to use to think about their priorities.

1. Invest in your people and culture

Investments in culture and people are starting to pay off, the report said. Data shows that having the best people is the greatest predictor of positive performance on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS).

This means that "your people are a resource and an opportunity for unlocking topline value and building brand preference and loyalty over the long term."

Monigle recommends that marketing leaders build a relationship with human resources leaders. Health systems should define why people should work for them and focus on shared meaning among team members.

2. Systemness shouldn't just mean more, it should mean better

Monigle's report found that systemness shows loyalty-building potential, but how you're defining the word and positioning it is important. "While some consumers see value in having more specialists and more locations, others want to understand how 'more' translates to better," the report said.

Monigle recommends organizations be clear about how and what type of system they're building. Ensure that positioning is clear and understand that experience gaps are getting in the way of proving yourself to consumers and patients.

3. If a consumer is denied access, don't assume they'll wait

Sometimes, driving more appointments to a health system can cause problems, according to Monigle. Instead of focusing on top-of-funnel demand generation, Monigle recommends focusing on helping the organization "identify and address the access challenges plaguing our systems."

According to Monigle, health systems should take a broader, more holistic journey orientation to the organization's experience, start talking about value lost when people are lost across an experience, and lead the shift from marketing.

4. Work on connecting with your next-generation consumer

Generational shifts are happening, and members of Gen Z are becoming decision-makers, new parents, and new caretakers for aging loved ones. How health systems build relationships with Gen Z will set the course for how everyone engages with healthcare in the future.

Monigle recommends health systems ask themselves three questions:

1. What do we stand for, and why should people care?
2. What makes us a place people can be their best selves and deliver the best experiences?
3. How are we delivering a better or different experience than alternatives?

If you feel unconvinced by your answers to any of these questions, Monigle recommends a reset to become more consumer focused.

5.  Keep it human

"Health, care, and wellness isn't going to go back to a one-size-fits-all approach," according to Monigle. "We are in a new era when the expectation is to deliver a more tailored experience with an ever-shrinking pool of resources."

As a result, the most effective and impactful brands in the industry in the future will be the ones that see people as individuals and listen to them as such.

Monigle recommends building a personalization approach, defining your brand's relationship with wellness, and stop ignoring the importance of listening to people. (Monigle Humanizing Brand Experience Vol. 7 report, 5/14)

Consumer navigation is a changing landscape, shaped by a confluence of factors. Healthcare industry stakeholders must navigate complex trends to capture consumers’ attention. We’ve identified six key drivers that are shaping consumer preferences and behaviors across the industry, including workforce realignment and digital enablement.