Patients are unanimous: healthcare is overly complex, and that's costing healthcare consumers in care access and surprise bills, according to the latest data from health IT developer RevSpring.

In the company's inaugural "Cost of Confusion: How Friction Shapes the Healthcare Experience" survey, patients were unequivocal that healthcare has become too complex, with 94% of the 2,000 adults surveyed saying as much.

Complexity is present across the healthcare continuum, the survey continued.

About a quarter of patients said finding a provider and scheduling an appointment is frustrating, while 38% said finding an in-network provider is a driver of friction.

Frustration continues beyond the patient access process and into the patient financial experience. For example, 39% said they get frustrated understanding the cost of care, and an equal proportion said they get hung up trying to understand health insurance coverage or denials.

All said, 79% of patients have experienced "bill shock" due to limited price transparency and communication breakdowns in the billing process.

Patients are paying the price for this complexity, primarily in terms of healthcare access and affordability. According to the survey, only about a fifth of patients see a doctor when they need to, regardless of the potential costs. More than a quarter (27%) seek the portion or type of care that fits their budget, while a third budget and plan their needed medical care.

Notably, a fifth of patients don't seek care if it's too expensive.

Healthcare organizations aren't entirely underperforming in the patient financial experience. Most patients said it's clear on their bill what they owe, and there are many payment options available on the patient portal. Patients also agree that their healthcare provider is readily available to answer billing questions.

But as consumer healthcare costs continue to rise -- 30% think what they owe does not match what they can afford, the survey showed -- patients are looking to budget. To that end, they need better price transparency and up-front cost estimates.

"Patients don't disengage because they don't want to pay. They disengage when the path to paying isn't clear or feels out of reach," Nicole Rogas, president of RevSpring, said in a press release. "When affordability is personalized and support shows up at the right moment, patients are far more likely to follow through."

Around a quarter of patients agreed they'd feel more supported with clear explanations of their insurance coverage (28%) and estimates of their out-of-pocket costs (28%). Another 26% agreed it'd be helpful to have payment plan options, financial assistance (20%), flexible payment methods (17%), guidance on navigating billing or insurance questions (17%) and the ability to consolidate bills (16%).

Creating a better patient financial experience is more than just improving collections. It could also be a driver of patient loyalty, with the survey showing that 58% of consumers would be willing to find a new provider if they experience poor appointment or billing communications.

Moving forward, healthcare organizations might consider tools that can provide clarity for patients during the billing and appointment scheduling process. In addition to a strong billing suite, tools like AI could help streamline communication, particularly around appointment reminders, check-in and scheduling.

Sara Heath has reported news related to patient engagement and health equity since 2015.