Meet the Millennials: Your Newest Health Care Customer
// By Ruth Padilla, MA and David Zirkle, PhD //
Some savvy hospitals are turning to the latest technological advances to engage younger health care consumers. Millennials, who are defined as individuals between the ages of 18 and 34, will surpass Baby Boomers as the nation’s largest living generation in 2015. Also known as Gen Y, this group is becoming an increasingly important target for health systems, given its size and purchasing power.
So what does this mean for health care organizations as they begin to reach out to millennials? Let’s start with the most obvious fact—millennials are tech-savvy. They are the first generation to have largely experienced an always plugged-in world, and they expect health care to fit into that lifestyle. Millennials are more likely to visit “Dr. Google” than their family physician when health care needs arise.