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Health Care: Patients turn into Customers
Deloitte Survey reveals Trends in German Health Care
Health care must become more responsive to customers' needs, finds Deloitte's 2010 Global Survey of Health Care Consumers. The accounting and consultancy firm has investigated satisfaction and attitudes of German, Swiss, French, Canadian and US customers of health care services. Each national sample contained at least 1,000 respondents, who were asked about their expenditure patterns and views on national health care.
Although 62 percent of Germans evaluate their health care system positively, they nevertheless expect significant improvements in service quality and cost effectiveness. Especially in light of the recent economic crisis, German citizens have come to view the long-term funding of public health care as uncertain - private health care expenditure has been rising. Also, consumers make increasing use of the Internet to acquire information and compare prices, and the majority of respondents have expressed an interest in Internet-based solutions for communicating with providers. The Internet-based administration of electronic patient files is perceived more critically, however: The majority of Germans harbour concerns over data protection issues. In international comparison, Germany ranks low in matters concerning citizens' personal health and the health care system in general, as well as openness toward new service offerings.
"German health care must change from its view of people as patients to a more customer-based perspective", says Professor Dr Peter Borges, partner in the health care industry line at Deloitte. "People expect more services at lower cost - yet they also must be more mindful when it comes to the health care consequences of their lifestyle, they must adhere more closely to agreed treatment plans and get actively involved in prevention, as well as pre- and post-treatment care."
Health and Prevention in Germany
By self-evaluation, the state of health of the majority of respondents is good (39%) to satisfactory (31%). 48% of respondents between 45 and 64 years of age, however, assessed their health as either satisfactory or bad. More than half report suffering from at least one chronic illness - in international comparison, this rate is highest. In spite of this, however, less than a quarter of the chronically ill participated in a correspondent treatment programme (2009 data). The majority of Germans demands financial incentives or insurance premium discounts for attending such programmes - according to the survey, this would increase the willingness to participate by some 84 percent.
Satisfaction with Health Care Provision is Moderate
Only 17 percent of respondents assessed German health care as "very good" or "good". In particular, infrastructure and information technology of health care organisations were evaluated positively. Treatment eligibility and waiting times, however, were identified as leaving significant room for improvement. Furthermore, 51 out of 100 Germans support an optimisation of treatment and service quality in medical practices and hospitals.
Private health care expenditures have been increasing: 44 percent of respondents reported increased spending on health care products and services as compared with previous years. The majority evaluates the funding of public health care critically and increasingly relies on (supplementary) private health insurance - for this reason, 51 percent demand lower costs of primary health care and medication. Respondents have furthermore raised concerns regarding the reform of German health care and the associated costs. Yet only 30 percent are in favour of institutionalising private health care provision as an additional pillar to the existing service infrastructure, despite recognising its financial limits.
Trends in German Health Care
The Internet offers new possibilities for organising health care: 40 percent of Germans are interested in Internet-based systems such as the electronic patient file, solutions for the administration of doctor's appointments or online ordering of medication. More than half are willing to use the internet for communicating with doctors. The internet is also increasingly used to compare the price and quality of medical products and services, and also to acquire information about health care more generally. Data protection concerns have stopped German consumers from making extensive use of such offerings thus far. 20 percent of respondents said that a general availability of the electronic health care card as carrier of these value-added services would reduce their uncertainty in this respect. Furthermore, there is a general trend toward alternative treatment methods such as acupuncture or homoeopathy - 20 percent of respondents uses alternative medicine in addition to orthodox medicine, or even replaces orthodox treatment completely
"In international comparison, Germans have showed a critical attitude toward their health care system. Whilst they demand high-quality, innovative medical services and lower costs, they perceive the system's financial sustainability and recent structural changes as ambivalent", says Olaf Radunz, manager in Deloitte's health care department. "Political institutions, service providers and sponsoring agencies should use the situation as an opportunity for implementing innovative and at the same time confidence-building initiatives."
The complete report can be downloaded from here:
2010 Survey of Health Care Consumers in Germany: Behaviors, attitudes and unmet needs (PDF)