Not too long ago I read a most interesting white paper on the different ways the various generations interact with the healthcare system. It was written by Michael C. Howe, the former chief executive officer of MinuteClinic, the retail health clinic provider recently acquired by CVS Corp. The paper, Customer Experience: a Generational Perspective, was published by the Beryl Institute, which is dedicated to healthcare customer service.

Under Howe’s leadership the MinuteClinic concept grew from just 19 facilities in two markets in 2005 to more than 525 health care centers in 27 states just three years later. According to his bio, Howe “has been distinguished by his ability to identify consumer needs, create strategic vision and build nationally recognized brands with companies such as Proctor & Gamble, PepsiCo and Unilever.”

With that background, I was quite interested in Howe’s take on marketing to different generations. He starts out by saying that with rising costs and new competition from retail clinics and companies like Google and Microsoft, healthcare institutions must begin to operate as do other retail service providers—designing experiences and delivering care around the convenience of consumers. Therefore, providers must understand the beliefs and values of the people they serve—and those beliefs and values are quite different for each generation.

He starts off by defining the generations that are having a significant impact on the healthcare system. The oldest is the “Greatest Generation” born from 1925 to 1944. Then came the baby boomers, born from 1945 to 1964. Next were Gen Xers, born from 1965 to 1984. Finally, there are the Millennials, born from 1985 to 2005.

Howe finds that the Greatest Generation is characterized by duty and sacrifice. Its members generally accept authority and willingly follow societal rules. Baby boomers experienced the Civil Rights movement, the Vietnam War and the sexual revolution. They are a confident bunch, secure in their belief that they can change the world. Gen Xers grew up in the era of corporate raiders; they trust themselves and their peers rather than corporations. They are loyal employees. Howe describes Millennials as collaborative, tolerant and comfortable with speed and change. Howe also says that they look for immediate and constant reinforcement.

Consumers make their hospital and provider choices based on their generational experiences, Howe writes. He also believes that regardless of their generation they expect high-quality care that is easily accessible. They also demand continuity of care. The differences arise in choice: Boomers may often select physicians based on hospital affiliation, while Gen Xers and Millennials are more likely to rely on recommendations from friends and family. The Greatest Generation and boomers are the least likely to switch physicians, while Millennials and Gen Xers are likely to switch docs based to experiential factors such as lack of confidence, relationship satisfaction, location and wait times.

When it comes to choosing a hospital the generations weigh criteria differently. The Greatest Generation and boomers rely on physician direction, while Gen Xers and Millennials choose their hospitals based on reputation. (On a side note, with healthcare reform coming, it is interesting to contemplate how the various generations will deal with some of the changes that will take place.)

Howe believes that healthcare organizations can improve their customer service experience through generational targeting. For example, for boomers and the Greatest Generation, the emphasis should be on a face-to-face registration experience, while Gen Xers and Millennials would be fine using respond to a registration kiosk to reduce waiting times. Different treatment such as that would require a great deal of staff training, Howe says.

Howe believes that healthcare professionals need to redouble their efforts at communicating both formally and informally with their patients, with the conversations tailored to the audience. With the Greatest Generation, employees should use formal forms of address and share the credentials of the staff. Gen Xers respond better to informal communication styles, and Millennials respect competency and connection rather than position.

Each generation has a different expectation of healthcare organizations, and healthcare professionals would do well to understand those differences. Treating each generation appropriately actually can help provide better care while raising your patient satisfaction scores—a winning strategy.