Three ways to draw more millennial patients into your practice

Millennials (people born between 1981 and 1996) are now the largest adult generation in the United States, and multiple studies have shown they’re less likely to have a primary care physician than other generations.^1,2

Here are three practical ways to draw more of them into your practice:

1. Embrace technology. Millennials are the first generation raised with the internet. They want to be able to make appointments online rather than calling, and they want the option of telehealth visits, especially if it means they can be seen sooner. If you’ve expanded your telehealth offerings during the COVID-19 pandemic, then you’ve already made progress toward a more millennial-friendly practice. Millennials also want to be able to exchange messages with their doctor through patient portals. Fortunately, some of these exchanges are now reimbursable as online digital evaluation and management.

2. Create flexible scheduling. Millennials as a group consider the traditional primary care model — making an appointment to be seen days or even weeks later — outdated. They’re used to getting instant feedback about medical issues online. Building in more same-day appointments to your schedule can make your practice more appealing to them, as can staggering your schedule to offer some appointments on weekday evenings.

3. Post prices. Millennials are accustomed to shopping for nearly everything online. They’re also cost-conscious health care consumers, in part because they’re more likely to be uninsured than other generations. Being as transparent as possible about costs, including posting cash-pay prices on your practice website, can engender their trust.

1. The health of millennials. Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. April 24, 2019. Accessed April 2, 2021. https://www.bcbs.com/sites/default/files/file-attachments/health-of-america-report/HOA-Millennial_Health_0.pdf

2. Blue Cross Blue Shield Association study finds millennials are less healthy than generation X were at the same age. Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. April 24, 2019. Accessed April 2, 2021. https://www.bcbs.com/press-releases/blue-cross-blue-shield-association-study-finds-millennials-are-less-healthy

Read the full FPM article: “What Millennials Want Out of Primary Care, and How to Deliver It.”