••• health care research 

If the pandemic impacted anything, it's the awareness we have of our general wellness and health care habits. As everyone settles into a new normal, the way health care is approached and viewed is starting to stabilize. The 2022 CVS Health Care Insights Study found that on average, people care about their health just as much or more than they did before the pandemic. 

People are staying on top of their checkups, health screenings and their relationships with their primary care physicians. Many are also taking advantage of the increasing virtual visitation options.

Patients are pursuing higher engagement levels with their doctors, seeking in-depth conversations about their health and advice on how to improve it. Eighty-one percent of those surveyed by CVS want their primary care providers to be aware of their satisfaction and overall happiness with life. Eighty-one percent also want their providers to understand their stress levels and how they cope with difficult situations and 80% say it is important for providers to be aware of their health goals. 

Although people want to communicate more with their primary physicians, some are still uneasy when discussing mental health concerns. Eleven percent indicate they’re embarrassed or ashamed to get mental health help and 10% believe the services available don't benefit them and they wouldn't use them. Fifty-seven percent of health care providers surveyed say proper access to mental health professionals would be very helpful to their patients and 48% always or often refer patients to professionals to achieve health goals. In fact, 40% of physicians believe that mental health services are very helpful and, if needed, they would use them and 26% find them helpful and have used the services themselves.

Virtual visits became the go-to throughout the pandemic and today they are seen as the most convenient option. Ninety-two...