Consumers are unlikely to consult their health plan as a primary source of information for healthcare decision-making, according to the Accenture 2013 Healthcare Transparency Survey. They perceive medical information shared by health plans to be biased and hard to apply to their situation.
Lack of bias is very important to consumers. According to the survey, even consumers who trust their health plan for symptom information may not go there for help. In fact, consumers would consult Internet searches (e.g., Google) significantly more than health plans (87 percent versus 67 percent).
On a positive note, health plans are the go-to source for patient reviews, far surpassing other websites that feature doctor ratings. The survey also indicated that once the course of treatment is decided, consumers turn to their health plan to help them understand what will be required for their recovery (83 percent), how much time they will need to take off work (66 percent) and how the procedure will benefit them in the long term (40 percent).
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Accenture conducted a survey of 2,003 US consumers to explore perceptions of what they need, expect and get from a health insurer across four primary areas of the healthcare decision-making continuum.
According to the research, health plans are not the most frequently selected source that consumers consult for help with key healthcare decisions including: researching symptoms (ranking 5 out of 5), finding a doctor (ranking 2 out of 4), accessing medical information (ranking 3 out of 5) and estimating medical costs (ranking 5 out of 6).
The good news is that health plans have the power to shift consumer perceptions by giving them what they want.
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Top consumer concerns with health plan information when researching treatments.
The Accenture 2013 Healthcare Transparency Survey showed that consumer needs, expectations and relative trust levels vary based on where the consumer is in the decision-making process.
Researching symptoms. Consumers rank their health plan as one of the last sources they would consult to research information about a specific ailment, symptom or medicine.
Finding a doctor. Consumers consult a health plan when finding or qualifying a primary care physician and/or specialist, yet they prefer to get advice from a medical professional (59 percent).
Accessing medical information. Health plans ranked third in order of sources a consumer would trust when researching medical information. Most consumers (97 percent) view medical professionals as a trustworthy source for seeking medical information and potential alternatives.
Estimating costs. Although one might expect consumers to turn to their health insurer for cost-saving information, health plans ranked below a number of other sources. In fact, when researching costs for a treatment, consumers are most likely to consider money-saving advice on healthcare costs from a doctor (95 percent). Other sources consulted include a local pharmacy (86 percent), a hospital (84 percent), family and friends (81 percent), and health plans (80 percent).
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For consumers who use patient reviews in their doctor selection process, the health plan website is the source most commonly referenced for those reviews.
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The Accenture 2013 Healthcare Transparency Survey shows that consumers seek information on the experiential aspects of healthcare. To deliver on these consumer needs, health plans should expand patient review capabilities, make it easier for consumers to access and act on information, and deliver information through trusted channels.
Patient reviews: In the case of doctor selection, consumers who look at patient reviews are more than two times more likely to use their health plans’ website over other sources. Health plans are consulted more often than other sources for patient reviews, such as Doctors Review and ZocDoc, and health plans beat out consumer-oriented sites, such as Yelp and Angie’s List.
Behavior design: The more consumers access and act on health plan information, the more they will come to trust it as a source of information. This requires a focus on elements of behavior design. Through behavior design, health plans can identify what prevents members from engaging in targeted behaviors.
Trusted sources: Health plans can make better use of trusted sources that are gaining in consumer acceptance, such as trained care managers who are familiar with the consumer’s needs and preferences, or someone facing a similar health issue. According to the Accenture 2014 Patient Experience and Accountable Care Study, 61 percent of consumers would trust a trained care manager familiar with needs and preferences and 57 percent would consult someone facing a similar health issue.
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A payer’s how-to guide for building price transparency
Three steps that set a foundation for patient engagement
Healthcare consumers want pricing information, but the majority of consumers don’t believe health plans are accurately providing it, according to the Accenture 2013 Healthcare Transparency Survey. Payers that want to build trust and loyalty among members have an opportunity to address these perceptions by providing consumers accurate cost estimates and rethinking how they deliver money-saving advice.
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