“Consumers want physicians to provide more cost and quality information than they are willing or able to offer.” That’s one conclusion from a Harris survey of consumers and physicians sponsored by Booz Allen Hamilton. Survey respondents also indicated they were dissatisfied with the quality and cost information they do get, and that they also expected doctors to compete on quality.
Physicians mostly agreed with consumers that they would be competing more on quality of care in the future. Yet according to the doctors surveyed, few intended to make available the quality and cost information patients want, or use it themselves when referring their patients to other physicians.
This emerging disconnect between consumers and physicians is showing up again and again. Now, consumers may still insist “on the right to choose a poor-quality physician” (WSJ subscription required), but they are becoming less tolerant of being in the dark when serious health issues are involved. Partially, that’s because they are continuing to read media reports like this new study by HealthGrades, an independent health care rating organization. Their research revealed about 1.2 million hospitalized Medicare recipients experienced preventable medical errors, amounting to nearly a 3 percent incident rate during 2003 through 2005.
The challenge for health care reformers will be to negotiate a new social contract between patients and physicians to bridge this widening chasm.These tough discussions will prove vitally important to the future of quality health care.
