The particular tastes and desires of millennials have been well documented, from refusing to use napkins (http://www.businessinsider.com/millennials-are-killing-list-2017-8) to insisting on having online shopping options (https://www.anytimemailbox.com/resources/top-21-things-millenials-do-differently). The generational gap manifests in different values in healthcare preferences as well. Millennials are less likely to have a primary care provider (by 10%), and, conversely, are more likely to use a minute clinic (by 15%) and desire telemedicine options for their health (by 13%). Taken together, millennials seek convenient and affordable treatment options, while shunning the traditional model of primary care medicine.
Those predicting the demise of the traditional model of medicine might draw conviction from this study. Younger generations favor convenience and price over the relationship and scope of general primary care medicine. As with any change, the new systems in place come at a cost. Patients will no longer have the same relationship with their physicians that their parents did, nor will they like receive the broad scope of medical services available in the prior model. It remains to be seen if the two systems, currently functioning in parallel, can work in synchrony or even in unison. Ideally, a patient could receive the same level of convenient and cost efficient care from their very own primary care provider, and, conversely, providers could provide more thorough and personal medical treatment via the modality of telemedicine. It remains to be seen if we can run with innovations of the future, while holding dear the values of the past.
http://www.mobihealthnews.com/content/millennials-demand-telehealth-move-away-traditional-primary-care-model?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTWpFNU1URmxaREExWm1RdyIsInQiOiI4YWFlcktraXhjN0F1V1dDalNBNXlIcEp5R2YzZ2tiZjVPRXA2S3FiZVhcL0NudlVRZzNMRUxZNEVTNElCczZPNDN5UUxVU2hcL2h2SERVR1F2NnluTDRkVU5QVWZPdnhMM2xSUk9ST2RcL1Q1VWJpV0J6M1FHSWdXQldLQUgxWTlrNiJ9