Consumers place the highest priority on finding quality-of-care information when they are making key decisions about treatment options, hospitals, primary care physicians, and specialists, according to a new study by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. In selecting a hospital or clinic, 77% of consumers surveyed ranked quality over cost; in selecting the best treatment option, 86% of consumers searched for quality information compared with 47% who searched for cost information first.
The study found that nearly two-thirds of consumers who made healthcare decisions in the past year have actively researched information to support their decision. Sixty-four percent felt it was important to obtain information from sources in addition to their physician, and most consumers were interested in general treatment information (77%), treatment success rate (57%), and information about the treating physician (52%). In selecting a hospital or clinic, consumers typically looked at average length of stay, patient satisfaction on quality of care received, patient satisfaction on care coordination across medical teams, and hospital complication rates. Consumers said they had trouble, however, finding valuable information on individual providers’ complication rates, mortality rates, and how they ranked in comparison with other providers on quality of care.
