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The Malta Independent | Saturday 4 April 2015
Technology-driven healthcare
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dvances in technology are to alter healthcare delivery and insurance, according to a new consumer survey by PNC Healthcare. Online shopping for doctors, web-based diagnostic tools and research about treatment options at the fingertips are informing healthcare decisions for millennials, replacing the single-source, primary care physician favoured by older generations. The survey of more than 5,000 American consumers explored the impact of patient-centered care among various age groups, including millennials (ages 2132), Generation X or Gen-Xers (ages 33-49), baby boomers (ages 50-71) and seniors (age 72+). “Millennials will overtake boomers as the nation’s biggest consumer buying group, shifting the purchasing power,” said Jean Hippert, senior vice president, PNC Healthcare. “The rules of evolution dictate that those insurers and healthcare providers that survive or thrive will be those that adapt sooner than later to the preferences of this fast-paced, technology-driven generation. Growing trends among the millennials that are driving change in healthcare include: • Speedy delivery
Roderick Spiteri
Roderick Spiteri is Marketing and Communications Manager at MITA and editor of Malta Independent ICT feature
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When it comes to the drivethru generation, millennials prefer retail (34%) and acute care clinics (25%) double that of boomers (17% and 14% respectively) and seniors (15% and 11% respectively). On the flip side, seniors (85%) and boomers (80%) visited the primary care physician (PCP) significantly more than millennials (61%). Word-of-mouth marketing Nearly 50% of millennials and Gen-Xers use online reviews (e.g. Yelp, Healthgrades) when they shopped last for a healthcare provider, compared to 40% of baby boomers and 28% for seniors. Kick the tires online before buying
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50% of millennials and 52% of Generation X-ers checked online information about their insurance options during their last enrollment period compared to 25% of seniors. Seniors prefer printed materials (48%) or a company representative (38%) before selecting their plan. Good faith, upfront estimates One out of five people surveyed listed unexpected/surprise bills as the number one billing-related issue. With outof-pocket costs on the rise, millennials are more inclined (41%) to request and receive estimates before undergoing treatment. Only 18% of seniors and 21% of boomers reported
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Mobile habits Almost every youngster is constantly plugged in – 91% of them spend at least half an hour online daily. More than 55% of youngsters spend over 4 hours and 32% over 5 hours online a day. Only 20% of people aged 25-54 are such heavy users. Communication is the number one activity on mobile for people under 25. Over 71% of youngsters check out social network accounts daily. Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and Google+ are top priority mobile apps for youngsters – and they use Instagram almost twice as much when compared to older people (30% vs 19%). 54% of youngsters are plugging
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asking for or receiving information on costs upfront. Unfortunately, 34% noted the final bill was higher than the estimate; only 8% reported a bill lower than estimate. Kicking care down the road All age groups agreed that
medical care is too expensive (79%) and healthcare costs are unpredictable (77%). But more than half of the millennials (54%) and Gen-Xers (53%) reported delaying or avoiding treatment due to costs compared to seniors (18%) and boomers (37%).
more exposed to malicious viruses. Amazingly 30% of those 25+ years of age still write their password down on paper, when 55% of younger ones remember their data. Digital Footprints Young tech users are not as careless as they seem – 45% of them are somehow concerned about companies tracking their online behaviour. The most concerned are those aged between 23 and 29 years - more than 36% are very concerned about being tracked. Only 1 in 5 youngsters think that companies are doing enough to protect their privacy online. 55% feel that privacy policies need to be better communicated – only a quarter of young people feel they adequately understand their contents. Some statistics from this study by my.com have been visualised in today’s ‘Did You Know Box’. into mobile games and 40% use instant messaging daily. Email, though, has proven to be more popular as a daily activity for those who are 25+ years of age. Users aged 13-24 tend to prefer Android over iOS, although older people are even less likely to own iPhones (42% vs 31%). Security issues Despite mobile preferences, all users found to be at equal risk for hacking. Around 15% of people in both age groups have experi-
enced it – and the most common reason for hacking across all users was setting the same password on different accounts (23%). Older users, though, are less careful with passwords – 23% get busted for using a simple password, while people under 25 are
The Malta Independent ICT Feature
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echnology is often referred to as disruptive because it changes the ‘usual’ way we do things. Every sector has - in one way or more - been disrupted by technology and in today’s feature we look at how technology is changing the way things are done
in healtcare. Technology has also disrupted the recruitment process. It’s not uncommon to apply for job offers online and via email. In today’s feature we look at a study which analysed different types of email applications and found some interesting results; including that people’s email addresses may be
hindering them from getting a job. We also analyse the findings of a study by my.com that looked at the mobile habits of those between the ages of 13 and 24 as compared to older generations. All ICT Features are available on www.mita.gov.mt/ictfeature
Your email address could stop you landing a job
Youngsters are constantly plugged-in oungsters stand at the front end of today’s uber-connected world. Studying or chatting, shopping or dating, entertainment or work – everything happens on the go. But does mobile actually change digital behaviour of the new generation? My.com surveyed over a thousand users in the U.S. about their mobile habits – how much time they spend using mobile internet, which platforms and apps prefer and what gadgets they carry. The findings are quite curious – “youngsters” (users aged 13-24) are much more wired than older folks, but share the same risks and concerns about online behaviour.
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The Malta Independent | Saturday 4 April 2015
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ob hunting can be a headache. It is for this reason that many are turning to recruiting companies which offer different job postings. The role of a recruting specialist is to find the ideal candidate for any company which has decided to use their services. What does all this have to do with technology? You might remember sending your CV and application letter via post when applying for a post, right? This however has changed in these past years. Today, CVs are sent via email and usually the covering letter is sent within the email itself. Such a change has triggered researchers to assess new recruiting styles as well as to assess what influences recruiters to choose one candidate over another. A recent study by Vrije Universiteit (VU University) in Amsterdam shows that recruiters made a firm distinction between formal and informal emails. It seems that the way an email is written reflects the personality of an individual and therefore it automatically has an influence on the perception of a recruiter. The
out to be as detrimental as the effect of spelling errors. According to this study, informal e-mail addresses are related to lack of reliability. Some advice for those applying for jobs via email: • Use a formal email such as
resumes of applicants allow recruiteers to perform their initial screening of whether applicants possess the knowlegde, skills, abilities and other characteristics required for the job. Some reports actually state that recruiters form their impressions about a candidate within just 10 seconds. Participating in this study were 73 recruiters who filled an online survey after assessing six fictitional resumes, four being formal and the other two being informal. What affected their
decision whether the individual would be hirable or not where three factors: Email format (formal vs informal) spelling and typeface (font: Arial or TimesNewRoman - TNR). Results were clear. Recruiters do indeed assess the hirability of an applicant with a resume featuring a formal email address higher than that of an applicant with a resume featuring an informal email address. It seesm that the effect of using an informal email address turned
name.surname@domain.com rather than something informal or ‘cute’ such superhero@domain.com or xx_mylove_xx@domain.com • Use Arial font • Check and check again for any spelling mistakes