Many healthcare organizations have begun taking steps to address the new age of consumerism in healthcare, in which current and prospective patients proactively seek quality and price information to better advise decisions on where to seek healthcare services. But is consumerism really on the rise?
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation's April Health Tracking Poll, fewer people than expected have indicated seeing or using any information to compare quality and prices in the last 12 months. Just 15 percent of respondents indicated seeing any information on health and insurance plan quality and only 6 percent used this information to inform their purchasing decisions through comparison with other health plans. Only eighteen-percent of respondents said they saw any information on health plan prices, with just 9 percent using the information.
The poll also found 13 percent of respondents indicated they saw any information on hospital quality, with 4 percent using this information to guide selection. Six percent of people saw any information on hospital prices, with just 2 percent using the information.
Just 10 percent saw any information on the quality of physicians with 6 percent using the information, and 6 percent saw any information on physician pricing, with only 3 percent using it.
Additionally, nearly two-thirds of respondents said it is difficult to find out what medical care will cost.