Survey: ‘New Front Door to Healthcare’ is Opening Wider

Alternative sites of care—the proverbial “new front door to healthcare”—are being considered acceptable to a greater number and wider range of patients as time goes on, according to a new survey by Oliver Wyman’s Health & Life Science Practice.  For purposes of the survey, those “alternative” sites include urgent care, retails clinics, and telehealth. While the benefits to the patient—greater access and power to make decisions—are self-evident, Oliver Wyman estimates at least $200 billion is at stake for the various provider industries, with those that execute well and gain public and payer trust taking the lion’s share. Perhaps most surprising about this survey is that willingness to use an alternative site was equal among 18–24-year-olds and those 65 and older (17% each).