Hindsight 20/20: Learning from a 2020 National Study of the Outpatient Experience

Pandemic-related, economic, policy, and technological forces have only amplified volatility in a United States healthcare industry where margins are shrinking and patient consumerism spells success or failure. However, investments in innovative outpatient strategies have been paying off by affording greater value to consumers. The outpatient care bellwether, with its flurry of service and facility hybrids, and the innovations emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic create an opportunity for us to take a comprehensive snapshot of the state-of-the industry and understand how social determinants of health, design, and digital design shape outpatient experiences and outcomes. This nationwide survey of 3,578 outpatients represents over 83 diagnoses, 81 health systems, and 16 outpatient settings. The study tested the themes of outpatient engagement, perceived care quality, consumer loyalty, pandemic experience, and virtual visit quality; identified outpatient populations by their demographic characteristics and their experiences with and access to outpatient care; identified design and digital design features that positively impact outpatient experience and outcomes; and explored optimal mixes of outpatient services. Opportunities and unexpected challenges of the pandemic, questionnaire development, sampling, data collection, and analyses will be discussed. Audience members will contextualize the methods and findings to their own experiences and understand ways to position themselves for success when performing similar research.