2022 Patient Consumer Survey

JLL conducted a national patient survey of U.S. residents from January 3, 2022 to January 12, 2022 to uncover a current view into healthcare consumer behavior and how telehealth impacts the patient experience. What are healthcare consumer preferences in the age of COVID-19 and beyond? From location and convenience to access and quality of care, this report outlines 3 key themes for 2022.

Location and convenience matter most; health systems and providers can unlock patient preferences to support site selection for scarce facility types

Overall, 83 percent of patients are traveling less than 30 minutes to access care, though this is down from 89 percent in 2020. Those who traveled 45 minutes or more were more often seeking acute care, either in a surgery center or hospital, or seeking behavioral health services. Patients prioritize locational convenience over facility quality, which has remained true since 2020.

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Patient travel time

Telehealth/virtual care is here to stay and will open new avenues for greater patient access, driving system expansion and pressure on medical real estate supply

We had no choice but to adopt virtual care options in 2020 due to restrictions on in-person interactions, driving the higher adoption rate during the height of the pandemic. But telehealth is not replacing the physical office by any means. Our patient survey results reveal that 31 percent of telehealth visits resulted in a physical office visit. While telehealth may offer convenience and more efficient care options, it can also be an avenue to increase patient access and drive more overall healthcare visits. Telehealth is an augment to the physical office, not a replacement. 

Physical facilities are still imperative to invest in, as the expansion of patient access across all health systems will lead to competitive leasing dynamics, especially as many virtual care providers must maintain patient confidentiality and data security – and compliant virtual care settings are more likely to be in a medical office setting, not in a doctor’s home office. 

Location convenience importance

The quality of care and the facilities themselves can influence choice; systems can increase patient access through modernizing key facilities

Generation gaps and community differences are evident when assessing opinions on quality, preferences and habits surrounding healthcare. However, the overall impression is that healthcare facilities are lacking in creating an inviting and modern environment. While location and convenience remain of paramount importance to the patient, health systems can strategically exploit patient preferences to their benefit, especially within varying target communities and age groups. 

Quality of visit by demographic