Customer Experience in Healthcare: Trends, Challenges, and Best Practices for 2026

Patients increasingly behave like consumers, choosing healthcare providers in much the same way they select hotels or online services – based on reviews, accessibility, and overall convenience. While medical care remains the most critical part of the experience, it’s only one of many factors patients take into account.

In many cases, dissatisfaction arises not from the treatment itself, but from the systems around it: booking, waiting, billing, and follow-up care, which can often feel fragmented and inconsistent.

This article explores key trends reshaping healthcare, common issues identified in PissedConsumer reviews, and practical ways to improve the patient journey.

• Current customer experience trends in healthcare
• Customer complaints and review trends in healthcare
• How to improve customer experience in healthcare
• Why customer experience in healthcare is important
• Final thoughts

Current customer experience trends in healthcare

Healthcare is no longer defined solely by in-person visits and phone calls. Digital tools and data analytics are reshaping how patients access care, move through treatment, and stay engaged after their visit.

AI chatbots become the first point of contact

Generative AI is making its way into many aspects of healthcare – from assessing symptoms to scheduling appointments and reminding patients to take their medication.

Unlike doctors, chatbots aren’t limited by working hours and can provide administrative services or answer simple questions at any time, on any day. Healthcare chatbots are typically trained to provide responses in a standardized format, reducing the risk of omitting important details, such as instructions for preparing for a medical examination or information about required documents. In addition, standardized responses are often better received by people experiencing stress due to health issues, as they value clear and unambiguous information that allows them to quickly find exactly what they need.

Chatbots are primarily used for the following tasks:

• automating administrative processes, such as scheduling appointments and sending appointment reminders, to free up healthcare staff for direct patient care;
• conducting a preliminary assessment of a person's condition based on reported symptoms;
• collecting patient information for electronic health records;
• providing information about nearby medical facilities and their hours of operation;
• reminding patients to refill medications and forwarding prescriptions to the pharmacy of their choice.

Beyond the applications mentioned above, mental health support may seem like an ideal use case for chatbots, since psychological therapy is fundamentally based on conversation. However, situations involving a person's mental health require particular caution.

Leaving someone who is experiencing depression or severe emotional distress to rely solely on an AI chatbot can be risky. In such cases, it’s better to refer the person to a qualified mental health professional.

Digital Front Doors expand self-service in healthcare

A Digital Front Door is a concept that enables patients to interact with healthcare providers through digital channels, making their first point of contact digital rather than in person or over the phone. Instead of calling the front desk, patients can use digital tools to:

• book appointments online;
• complete registration forms;
• chat with an AI assistant;
• attend video consultations;
• receive automated reminders about upcoming visits;
• access lab results;
• pay medical bills.

By bringing these services together in a single digital ecosystem, Digital Front Doors provide convenient self-service options for patients while reducing administrative workloads for healthcare staff. They can simplify appointment scheduling, eliminate time spent waiting on hold, and allow patients to access test results through an online portal.

However, digital solutions don’t eliminate the need for traditional patient support channels. Many people still prefer to call the clinic and speak directly with a receptionist, and that preference is unlikely to disappear anytime soon.

Healthcare is fundamentally different from booking a haircut or a beauty appointment. Medical concerns may require urgent attention, and patients are rarely familiar with the complex structure of medical specialties. For example, abdominal pain may require consultation with a gastroenterologist, surgeon, proctologist, gynecologist, or urologist, depending on the underlying cause. As a result, patients often contact the clinic first, where an administrator asks clarifying questions, consults a senior physician if necessary, and only then directs the patient to the most appropriate specialist.

No matter how sophisticated digital platforms become or how well AI assistants are trained, many patients will continue to prefer direct communication with healthcare professionals, particularly when discussing complex or sensitive medical issues.

Omnichannel communication creates a consistent patient experience

Omnichannel communication integrates multiple channels – including phone calls, email, SMS, and secure messages through the patient portal – into a unified experience. Depending on a patient's communication preferences, healthcare providers can deliver information and services through the most appropriate channels.

For example, a doctor may call a patient to discuss test results while those same results are simultaneously available through the patient portal. Patients can also receive appointment reminders by SMS or email, reducing the likelihood of missed visits. Since every missed appointment represents lost revenue for a healthcare provider, automated reminders can help reduce no-show rates. By including a link to the patient portal in these notifications, healthcare companies also make it easy for patients to reschedule appointments.

Patients who can easily contact their healthcare providers, confirm appointments, ask follow-up questions, and receive reminders about post-procedure or post-operative care are more likely to remain engaged throughout their treatment journey.

Predictive analytics improves patient care and resource planning

Predictive analytics involves analyzing historical and real-time health data to forecast future changes in a patient's condition. Predictive models can alert doctors to critical changes in health status or early signs of disease, enabling them to initiate or adjust treatment in a timely manner and reduce the risk of repeat hospitalizations.

More broadly, aggregated patient data is used in large-scale clinical studies to evaluate treatment methods and predict their outcomes. Data from these studies can be shared among public and private healthcare organizations, as well as research institutions around the world.

Predictive analytics can also analyze seasonal disease patterns, hospitalization trends, and local events to forecast patient volumes in emergency departments and inpatient wards. These findings help healthcare providers allocate staff and medications more effectively. As a result, patients may spend less time waiting in overcrowded emergency rooms.

The greatest challenges associated with patient data are ensuring its security and ethical use. People who discuss chronic conditions privately with their doctors would not expect their medical history to be exposed due to a cybersecurity breach. Another important ethical consideration is obtaining informed patient consent for the use of health data in future medical research.

Healthcare organizations must establish a comprehensive data governance framework by defining data retention policies, implementing secure archiving and deletion procedures, and enforcing strict access controls based on the principle of least privilege.

Remote monitoring is becoming a core part of telemedicine

Telemedicine encompasses a range of technologies that enable patients to receive medical consultations and certain diagnostic services remotely. It’s particularly valuable for people who are unable to leave their homes due to illness or self-isolation, as well as for those living in remote areas with limited access to healthcare facilities.

Telemedicine includes the following applications:

1. Real-time remote monitoring of patients' health.
2. Sharing health information, test results, and treatment plans between patients and healthcare providers, as well as between healthcare professionals within the same medical facility.
3. Patient consultations conducted via audio and video calls.

As the populations of the United States and many other countries continue to age and demand for medical services grows, telemedicine is becoming a vital component of healthcare delivery. Video consultations and remote monitoring can reduce the need for in-home physician visits while supporting more continuous and effective patient care.

For example, telemedicine combined with Internet of Things (IoT) technologies has shown promising results for people with dementia receiving community-based care at home. An analysis of remote monitoring showed a reduction in the number of emergency department visits and significant cost savings.

A hybrid model that combines in-person and virtual visits has also proven effective in the treatment of substance use disorders, where continuity of care plays a particularly important role.

However, not all demographic groups benefit equally from telemedicine. Digital literacy, access to technology, and socioeconomic factors can all create barriers for vulnerable populations, limiting their access to modern digital healthcare services. Healthcare companies therefore face the challenge of developing telemedicine and IoT solutions that are both accessible and easy to use. Simple, intuitive interfaces not only improve the patient experience but also reduce the burden on customer support teams by decreasing the number of technical support requests.

Patients expect greater transparency around healthcare costs

Pricing in the healthcare sector is regulated differently across countries. For example, in the United Kingdom, hospitals don’t publish insurer-specific negotiated prices, as the system is publicly funded.

In contrast, the United States requires hospitals to disclose negotiated prices for medical services for specific payers. Hospitals are required to provide:

• a machine-readable file containing all standard charges;
• a consumer-friendly display or price estimator for shoppable services.

In theory, these regulations should help patients better understand the expected cost of care before treatment and be better equipped to compare providers.

However, the real challenge for customers isn’t access to published prices, but the predictability of healthcare costs. Patients may know the list price of a service, yet still have difficulty understanding how much they will ultimately pay after their insurance claim is processed.

Reviews of healthcare companies on PissedConsumer indicate that the two most common payment-related complaints are the following:

1. Insurance billing and coding disputes

Patients frequently report the following issues:

• "This service should’ve been billed under my vision insurance, not my medical insurance."
• "The clinic refused to reissue the bill or correct the insurance claim."
• "My insurance company told me this service should’ve been covered."

In many cases, frustration stems from how healthcare providers code and submit claims to insurance companies, resulting in bills with amounts higher than expected.

2. Unexpected fees and charges

Many reviews also highlight poor communication regarding billing. Patients mention unexpected monitoring fees, supplies or materials that weren’t included in the quoted price, and additional services billed separately without prior explanation.

Healthcare companies that provide clear cost estimates and explain insurance coverage, billing procedures, and potential out-of-pocket expenses in advance can reduce billing disputes and improve the overall patient experience.

Customer complaints and review trends in healthcare

Reviews in the healthcare sector are likely among the most complex and emotionally charged compared to reviews in other categories on the PissedConsumer website, and there is a good reason for this. Healthcare customers – patients and their families or caregivers – often arrive at medical facilities under significant stress. In addition to health concerns, they may be worried about losing their jobs or ability to work, as well as facing financial difficulties due to treatment. Furthermore, patients are often confronted with specialized terminology that they are unfamiliar with, which can contribute to a negative experience.

Why is it so important for healthcare facilities to respond to patient reviews and resolve issues? First, it provides a more complete picture; after all, no matter how much we trust the customer’s voice, we cannot objectively treat customer reviews as “the only truth.” Second, high-quality interactions with patients increase their confidence that they’ve chosen the right provider. Finally, reviews show prospective clients that a healthcare facility puts patients’ needs first when they need it most.

How patient complaints differ across healthcare categories

We will examine consumer concerns reflected in reviews collected throughout 2025 across the following healthcare categories available on PissedConsumer:

• “Hospitals, clinics, and medical centers” (the main healthcare category);
• “Dentistry” (listed separately on PissedConsumer, as dentistry has developed a “Hollywood smile” culture and, while part of healthcare, increasingly incorporates aesthetic enhancements aimed at improving patients’ smiles and confidence);
• “Pharmacy”.

Patients who left reviews for facilities in the “Hospitals, clinics, and medical centers” category most frequently complained about billing issues and unexpected charges (30.5%), appointment access and scheduling (24.6%), and wait times and delayed care (18.3%).

In more serious cases, patients reported issues with the quality and reliability of medical equipment (10.8%), prescribing incorrect medication and mishandling of allergies (10.3%), and overall low clinical quality (9.6%).

Billing issues and unexpected charges were also the leading source of dissatisfaction in dental services, appearing in 44.0% of negative reviews. Concerns about the fit and quality of dentures, implants, and aligners ranked second, accounting for 40.7% of complaints.

Other frequently discussed issues included appointment availability, scheduling, and cancellations (26.1%); wait times and service delays (22.1%); and treatment quality (14.3%).

Upselling and unnecessary procedures were mentioned less frequently (9.1%), but they appeared to further fuel frustration over billing practices and the overall cost of dental care.

In the pharmaceutical services sector, issues related to order processing and shipping were the most frequently discussed, accounting for 46.9% of complaints. Billing issues and refund disputes ranked second (33.2%), while problems related to prescription access and medication availability were the third most commonly reported complaints (26.8%).

Other frequently mentioned issues included problems with auto-refill programs and subscriptions (24.2%), technical issues with websites, mobile apps, or customer accounts (22.4%), and unclear communication from customer support representatives (21.9%).

Let’s turn to the consumer survey data. The following findings are based on 373 survey responses collected in 2025 after calls with healthcare providers through PissedConsumer.

More than half of callers couldn’t reach customer service

A total of 54.7% of respondents said they were unable to reach customer service. Among those who explained why they couldn’t get through in a follow-up question, the two most common reasons were the lack of an option to speak with a live agent (30.6%) and unanswered calls (30.6%). Long hold times were also reported, but they accounted for only 5.1% of responses.

Automated systems preventing customers from connecting with a real person is not a problem unique to the healthcare industry. We’ve observed it as one of the most common issues across multiple industry categories on PissedConsumer.

Patients report mixed experiences with customer service

Satisfaction with customer service is divided. Among respondents who rated the representative they spoke with:

• 48.7% were satisfied or very satisfied;
• 12.0% were neutral;
• 39.2% were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied.

Among respondents who were asked whether the representative resolved their issue, 36.6% said the issue wasn’t resolved.

While wait times remain a concern, they appear to be a secondary barrier to a positive customer experience. Among respondents who successfully reached a representative:

• 57.3% connected with no wait or within 3 minutes;
• 27.4% waited between 3 and 10 minutes;
• 15.3% waited longer than 10 minutes.

Taken together, these findings suggest that customers who successfully reach a representative often have mixed-to-positive experiences. However, the overall customer experience continues to suffer because many customers are unable to reach support in the first place or fail to get their issues resolved.

How to improve customer experience in healthcare

Improving customer experience in healthcare means removing friction across the entire patient journey – from the first appointment request to post-treatment support. Here are actionable tips on how to make the patient journey smoother.

Eliminate bottlenecks in contact center operations

Patients expect convenience, prompt support, and personalized communication. Their expectations are rising as they have grown accustomed to seamless, round-the-clock service in other industries, such as e-commerce and hospitality.

First and foremost, healthcare facilities should provide tools that allow patients to quickly schedule, reschedule, or cancel appointments without having to call and wait on hold each time. These tools not only reduce patient wait times but also free up staff resources by automating routine administrative tasks.

In addition, the patient experience can be significantly improved through multichannel support. Patients who prefer digital interactions are more likely to choose healthcare providers that offer quick responses via email, live chat, or messaging apps. If a response in chat requires additional time, both the patient and the support agent can continue the conversation without losing context.

Equally important is the ability to maintain a unified communication history across channels, so patients don’t have to repeat their questions or explain their situation multiple times when switching between channels.

Customize the patient journey

Different groups of patients have different needs and expectations. Some want quick answers, while others require more detailed assistance. When everyone receives the same experience, some patients may feel overlooked or confused.

Identify key patient segments and tailor the experience to their specific needs. Group patients not only by age or health status, but also by their behaviors and preferences. For example:

• First-time patients often need additional guidance and reassurance before and during their initial appointment.
• Patients with chronic conditions value regular monitoring, proactive follow-ups, and convenient self-service options.
• Tech-savvy patients prefer digital communication, notifications through messaging apps, and online forms.
• Older patients may place greater value on personalized support over the phone.

Provide self-service options for routine tasks

We've already discussed the importance of digital tools for scheduling and canceling appointments. However, self-service can be extended to many other tasks that patients can handle independently through self-service portals or mobile apps, including:

• Filling out questionnaires and registration forms before a visit.
• Updating personal information and changing passwords.
• Viewing test results and post-visit summaries.
• Paying bills.
• Checking insurance coverage information.
• Requesting prescription refills.
• Accessing instructions on how to prepare for tests and examinations.
• Receiving basic information about standard procedures, operations, and post-operative care.
• Managing communication preferences.

Actively manage your public reputation and handle complaints transparently

Collect and respond to public reviews, gather customer feedback during direct interactions, and conduct customer satisfaction surveys. Feedback can be collected at key moments throughout the patient journey, such as after a patient books an appointment through your website, receives a service, is issued an invoice, or interacts with a support representative.

The more tools and methods you use to gather feedback, the more valuable the insights you'll gain to improve your services or grow your business. Just as importantly, addressing patients' questions and complaints – both publicly and privately – demonstrates that you care about their experience and well-being.

Patients researching a new clinic also pay attention to how you respond to negative reviews. Addressing complaints publicly and professionally on platforms such as PissedConsumer is a powerful marketing tool reassures prospective patients that they won't be ignored if something goes wrong.

Invest in staff training and well-being

Provide training for staff members who interact directly with patients to strengthen their communication, empathy, and problem-solving skills in challenging situations. While healthcare professionals are trained to deliver compassionate care, ongoing education can help them navigate difficult conversations and respond effectively to patients under stress.

The well-being of healthcare staff and their satisfaction with working conditions also directly influence the quality of the patient experience.

Because healthcare professionals face emotional strain on a daily basis, it’s critical to support their well-being through initiatives such as additional paid time off, mental health benefits, and regular one-on-one meetings where managers can check in, offer support, and address any concerns.

Why customer experience in healthcare is important

The customer experience at healthcare organizations directly impacts their financial performance. Patients who are dissatisfied with the service are less likely to return for follow-up appointments or diagnostic tests, and they’re unlikely to recommend the healthcare provider to others.

Organizations that ignore shortcomings and inconsistencies in the customer experience also incur higher operational costs associated with handling complaints and resolving service issues. Billing errors and coding disputes deserve particular attention. Investigating the causes of billing discrepancies and resolving them not only consumes staff time but can also delay payments for medical services.

The accuracy and completeness of patient records also have a direct impact on diagnosis and treatment. Incomplete or inaccurate records can lead to serious medical errors and potential malpractice claims.

Finally, patients often view the quality of customer support as a reflection of how well a healthcare organization is managed. Companies with satisfied patients typically have well-established processes and reliable systems. Conversely, poor customer service may indicate underlying issues such as staffing shortages, fragmented data management systems, or outdated technology.

Final thoughts

A truly compassionate healthcare experience is shaped not only by the treatment itself, but by how patients are guided through uncertainty. Clear communication, accessible support, and consistent processes can make an already stressful journey feel more manageable and human. These components shift healthcare from a series of isolated interactions into a well-rounded and cohesive experience.