Cedar Talk

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NRC Health’s Ryan Donohue on How Economic Uncertainty Is Changing Patient Behaviors in 2025

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In this episode of Cedar Talks, our former VP of Commercial Strategy, Ryan McPherson, chats with NRC Health‘s Ryan Donohue about something on everyone’s mind: economic uncertainty. Ryan D. draws from 20 years of consumer research to discuss how external factors like inflation shape patient behaviors, sometimes in irrational ways. He explores the psychological barriers that keep people from seeking care, why financial stress follows patients throughout their entire healthcare journey, and what forward-thinking health systems are doing differently to connect with patients.

Watch the full episode

Conversation highlights

Perception is everything

Ryan compares today’s economic uncertainty to pandemic-era inflation, explaining how patients responded then–and what it means for providers now.


Back to crisis levels

Ryan shares concerning new data showing patient behavior similar to how people were acting at the height of the 2008 housing crisis.

The haunting effect

Even when patients do seek care, Ryan discusses how healthcare financial anxiety can follow them long after they’ve left the hospital.

Ben Kraus is Director, Content Marketing at Cedar

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