Using quality information to choose a health care provider is a relatively new phenomenon – and one that few consumers are doing, according to a 2006 survey.
• Percentage of people who researched information in the last year comparing quality among health care providers: 12%
• Percentage who used it to make a decision about a provider: 7%
Source: Kaiser Family Foundation/Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality phone survey of 1,216 nationally representative American adults, 2006.
In another survey, people were asked what types of criteria they’d use to judge a health care provider. Those surveyed were asked which of the following information would tell them a lot about the quality of a provider:
How many times a provider has done a specific medical procedure (66%)
Whether a provider is board certified (has had additional training and testing in his or her area of specialty) (65%)
How many malpractice suits a provider has had filed against him or her (64%)
How patients who are surveyed rated how well the provider communicates (52%)
Whether a provider attended a well-known medical school or training program (37%)
Whether a provider has admission privileges to send patients to a particular local treatment facility (35%)
Whether a provider has been rated “the best” by a local newspaper or magazine (28%)
Whether a provider charges more than others in the field do (18%)
It seems that consumers have largely been in the dark when trying to choose a new health care provider. They might want someone who is skilled, pays attention to their concerns and makes it easy to get an appointment. Instead, with little information to go on, they pick someone out of a directory whose office is conveniently located.
But a new emphasis in family medicine on providing quality care and pleasing patients is giving consumers more to go on. And a few well-placed questions about the way a provider runs his or her practice can give consumers a sense of the provider-patient relationship they’ll have – and, to some degree, the quality of care they’ll get.
Patients who work with their providers in a collaborative way are more likely to take care of themselves, according to a study of 24,609 adult patients with chronic or serious conditions. The study, conducted at Dartmouth Medical School and reported in the Journal of Ambulatory Care Management in 2006, found that patients who participated in good collaborative care had better control of their blood pressure, blood glucose levels and serum cholesterol than those who were less confident in the information they received from providers or their ability to care for themselves.
In starting your search for a health care provider there are several factors to consider when you start this process:
- Do you prefer a male or female health care provider?
- Do you prefer a younger or older provider?
- Where is the location of the provider’s office? Is it easy for you to get to?
- Is the provider part of a group or is he a solo practitioner?
- If he or she is a solo provider, who covers for them when they’re away?
- Does he or she accept your health insurance?
- What treatment facility is the provider affiliated with?
- How comfortable do you feel talking about your health problems with them?
Some of the answers to these questions are easy to find – a quick look in a provider directory can answer the insurance and location questions. But as more patients use health savings accounts that require them to pay out of pocket for providers’ visits, they’ll likely be looking for more information for their money.
Some states collect quality information and report it to consumers on websites. California’s Office of the Patient Advocate offers quality information online about medical groups. The data, based on consumer surveys, include ratings on timeliness of medical care, quality of communication and helpfulness of office staff.
For more information – please visit:
The LA Times Online
US Dept Health and Human Services
