Online individuals who have a scheduled appointment with a doctor – also known as Pre-Visit Patients™ – hold a range of traits and behaviors that make them of deep interest to health-related advertisers, according to an analysis of two surveys conducted separately by Manhattan Research and HealthGrades, the leading independent healthcare ratings company.
Taken together, the two data analyses show that Pre-Visit Patients are more engaged and empowered to take action and influence others.
“Pre-Visit Patients are, by definition, on their way to the doctor, and have a unique set of behaviors surrounding their immediate medical need,” said HealthGrades Senior Vice President of Internet Strategy and Operations Andrea Pearson. “For advertisers, this newly defined population of Pre-Visit Patients -– which comprises the vast majority of traffic to HealthGrades.com, where individuals find and make appointments with doctors -- presents an opportunity to engage patients at the exact moment they are most in need of new information, and are about to have a conversation with their physician about their diagnosis and treatment options.”
HealthGrades Survey
A survey of individuals visiting HealthGrades.com to research doctors and hospitals finds that 82 percent will visit a doctor within 30 days, and 91 percent will visit a doctor within 60 days. The survey of 3,408 visitors in January, 2009 drilled down to uncover some behaviors of this Pre-Visit Patient group that suggests a need for information that can be used pro-actively.
Specifically, the HealthGrades survey found: