• According to a survey from Deloitte, finding the right health care provider is important and 50% of the consumers surveyed found it important that a certain physician or hospital is part of their health plan's network.
• When choosing a doctor, 27% of those surveyed by Deloitte found a doctor's affiliation with their local hospital important.
• The quality ratings of a hospital are more important to millennials than any other generation. When searching for a hospital, 25% of millennials look up quality ratings for the hospital, 14% of Gen X do this, 8% of baby boomers do this, and 7% of seniors.
• Consumers trust hospitals to provide health advocacy services. In fact, 44% of consumers trust either a hospital or an independent service to provide health advocacy services.
• Consumers see hospitals as a trusted source of information. Approximately 49% of consumers trust information that comes from academic medical centers and 41% trust information that comes from community hospitals.
• A survey conducted among cancer patients showed that 68% of patients are actively involved in selecting a hospital for their surgery, while 65% said their physician was involved or made the decision. To these patients, the hospital's reputation (55%) was important followed by patient satisfaction (44%).

Summary of Findings

• During the initial hour of research, we focused on determining the importance of hospitals in personal healthcare.
• From the information collected, we found that hospitals are an important consideration for consumers when choosing a health plan. The hospital is also important to patients when choosing where to continue their healthcare journey to the extent that they are personally involved in the choice.
• Hospitals are not only seen as the providers of healthcare but are also regarded as the most trusted source of information and as health advocates.