What's love got to do with it? Investigating consumer commitment in health care

Building relationships with patients to create patient-centered care is critical to the success of health care organizations. A core element in relationships is commitment. Commitment may be based on affect and emotions, perceived costs, and even obligation. This research proposes that three types of commitment-affective, continuance, and normative commitment-differentially impact consumer purchase loyalty, attitudinal loyalty, and advocacy for a health care provider. To examine the impact of commitment type on consumer relationships, exploratory data were garnered and surveys were administered. Findings are discussed and implications for health care marketing managers in developing successful relationships with consumers are delineated.