Research from Chicago-based professional services firm Accenture suggests that the largest U.S. hospitals are failing to connect patients with mobile apps, causing them to lose out on an estimated $100 million in annual revenue.
The research, which assessed mobile app usage among the 100 largest U.S. hospitals, found that 66 percent of them have mobile apps for consumers and 38 percent have developed proprietary apps for their patients. But just 11 percent of health systems offer patients apps that operate with at least one of the three functions consumers demand most: access to medical records, appointment booking, and the ability to request prescription refills.
“Hospital apps are failing to engage patients by not aligning their functionality and user experience with what consumers expect and need,” said Brian Kalis, managing director in Accenture’s Health practice, in a statement Wednesday.
Kalis added that consumers who become disillusioned with a provider’s mobile services may look elsewhere for services. In fact, Accenture reported that approximately 7 percent of patients have switched healthcare providers due to a poor experience with online customer service channels, including mobile apps and web chat. That could lead to a loss of $100 million in annual revenue, per hospital, according to Accenture, and providers will likely see switching rates on par with the mobile phone industry (9 percent), cable television (11 percent), and even retail (30 percent).
