Reference no: EM133656246

Question

In the world of consumerism in healthcare, the decision-making process is very similar to that of other industries and is broken down into 10 steps. The 10 steps in health care are: 1. Problem recognition, 2. Information search, 3. Initial awareness, 4. Knowledge emergence, 5. Alternative evaluation, 6. Contract assessment, 7. Preference assignment, 8. Purchase decision, 9. Product usage, and 10. Purchase behavior (Thomas, 2020). Marketers will try to figure out what process people are in, to market towards key areas. Although these steps are very similar to other industries, there are some differences in how people make decisions. For instance, in healthcare generally, the decision to buy or pursue a specific treatment is made by a physician or someone else, whereas in other industries the purchaser makes the decision. Also due to the complexity of billing in healthcare, the buyer typically does not know the entire cost or how it's being paid, whereas in other industries the buyer knows the exact cost and how to pay. Ultimately the biggest difference is that knowledge and decision-making are generally not with the buyer in health care.