Sixty-three percent of consumers who use fitness or health monitoring technologies say it has changed their behavior significantly. Forty percent have shared their fitness or monitoring information with their doctor, according to a survey by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions.

Twenty-two percent used technology to access, store, and transmit health records in the past year, up from 13% in 2013. Use was higher for those with major chronic conditions (32% compared to 19% in 2013). Sixteen percent who needed care went online for cost information, up from 11% in 2013. Technology use among Millennials increased the most (27% versus 17%). Further, 71% of all those surveyed have not gone online for cost information, but are very or somewhat likely to use a pricing tool in the future.
Twenty-five percent used a scorecard to compare the performance of doctors, hospitals, and health plans, up from 19% in 2013. The rate was highest in the youngest cohort, with 49% of Millennials who received care in the last year using a scorecard compared to 31% in 2013.

Greg Scott of Deloitte Consulting said, “Health care is becoming more digitized and consumer oriented. It’s not an overnight change, but more like how summer turns into fall – gradual yet very perceptible. The specter of a more customer-driven industry is causing many health companies to transform into retail-focused organizations, impacting everything from strategy and scale to operations and human capital…This is about more than a cool app; this is about making the…changes needed to better identify and engage a more empowered purchaser.”