A deeper understanding of consumers’ decision-making processes can equip health care providers to retain and engage them effectively as well as attract new ones. The Deloitte Center for Health Solutions recently surveyed 4,530 U.S. consumers to assess their attitudes, behaviors, and preferences when making decisions about health insurance, health care, and well-being. A segmentation analysis of data, focusing on health care attitudinal and behavior questions rather than demography, offered a richer understanding of consumers than analysis focused solely on demographic factors.
The analysis categorized individuals into four distinct groups that reflect their differences in preferences for managing their health and interacting with various providers. Given its changing and sometimes unknown landscape, the U.S. health care system draws parallels with the Wild West of the 19th century. Personalities of individuals from the American frontier during that time period used to describe the results of segmentation are as follows:
Trailblazers (tech-savvy, self-directed, engaged in wellness, willing to share data)
Prospectors (rely on recommendations from friends/family, use providers as trusted advisors, willing to use technology)
Homesteaders (reserved, cautious traditionalists)
Bystanders (complacent, tech-reluctant, resistant to change, unengaged)
The analysis shows that each group not only has unique needs and expectations, but navigates the health care system differently. Segmentation findings can help tailor more effective interactions with consumers.
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