The Patient Next Door: Meet the New Healthcare Consumer

August 26, 2026
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EST

Healthcare consumers are changing. In many cases, they're bypassing healthcare providers entirely. Is your organization ready?

Consumers are delaying care because they're worried they can't afford it. They're turning to AI instead of doctors for answers. And by the time they show up, many of their decisions are already made.

In this session, Emily Baker, VP Innovation, and Mallory Roman, PhD, Director, Research and Marketing Science at BPD Healthcare, unpack what's really happening. Drawing on new national data from BPD's ongoing consumer study, they'll show how the front door of care has shifted and what that means for the provider's role in the patient journey.

Health systems are being pushed to choose: do you fight to own the relationship with the patient? Or do you focus on winning the moment of care when they finally show up? From marketing and growth strategy to patient experience, today’s consumer is reshaping how health systems compete and connect. We’ll also look at Gen Z as an early signal of where expectations are headed next, and how teams need to adapt now to keep up.

Objectives of this session:

• Understand how and why healthcare consumer behavior is changing, including the impact of cost, access, and digital tools
• Learn how patients are making care decisions before engaging with providers, and what influences those choices
• Gain practical insight into what these shifts, including early signals from Gen Z mean for how healthcare leaders should adapt their approach