In a survey of 301 executives and officials from health plans and government health agencies, 90 percent of respondents said that a commitment to consumer-driven healthcare is a priority. Key findings of the survey, conducted by Stamford, Conn.-based Thomson Corporation, include:
- 49.6 percent of respondents said consumer decision support tools are one of their organization's top five priorities. Adoption of consumer information tools to date is lowest within the government sector.
- The three most-cited reasons to offer consumer decision support tools were:
1. Reduce overall healthcare costs.
2. Improve individuals' health.
3. Increase beneficiaries' engagement in healthcare.
- The top three choices of consumer decision support tools, in order, were:
1. Cost calculators that show consumers their personal financial liability for specific treatments.
2. Personalized communications related to healthcare quality and costs.
3. Applications that allow consumers to select physicians and hospitals based on location, quality, or cost information.
