Patients and physicians both can benefit from the health consumer reports. The study this year identifies four themes that can be used to guide consumers in the field of health care. These themes include Optimism. Choices. Transparency. And Patient-generated information. These are the key elements for improving consumer satisfaction in health care.
Optimism
The term optimism has been associated with many positive outcomes, including improved health and well-being. It also helps you to see the positive side of stressful situations. There are indirect effects that optimism has on quality-of-life. Positive people report higher quality lives than pessimists.
Optimism is linked to a healthier lifestyle. People who are optimistic tend to get more exercise, quit smoking, live with a partner, and follow medical advice more closely. Despite these benefits there isn't evidence that optimism is associated a healthier diet, and a leaner figure.
You have many options
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) has created health insurance marketplaces, where consumers can compare and contrast health insurance plans. Unfortunately, many consumers lack the knowledge needed to make informed decisions about their coverage options, and end up spending more money than necessary. RAND researchers study the literature to help consumers make informed choices about their health care coverage.
Consumer choice is an important approach to improving health care quality in the United States. By asking people about their experiences with health care providers, health consumer reports can help consumers make informed decisions about their health.
Transparency
There are several positive aspects to the Transparency in Health Consumer Report movement. The report makes it easy for consumers to select a doctor or hospital based on the ratings, and it also lets them know how their provider measures up. There are some potential risks. Consumers may have difficulty understanding the jargon and complex information within the report.
First, consumers may not be as likely to make good decisions when selecting a medical provider. It is easy to make a mistake and choose the most expensive provider when the health system is complex. Moreover, costs do not always reflect the quality of health care. Patients often have to pay for facility fees and prescriptions, which can raise their bills.
Patient-generated data
Patient-generated health data (PGHD), are data collected outside of a traditional medical setting. This data includes information regarding prevention and health promotion. It broadens the definition of health beyond illness and wellness, to include the whole person. These data can be used to improve the quality of patient care and customer satisfaction.
The data can be collected from a variety of sources and can be used in health care. It could include information on personal health such as blood pressure readings or exercise information. However, it must be noted that it is important to distinguish patient-generated data from patient-reported outcome measures.
Biopharmaceutical companies
Pharmaceutical industry spends billions of dollars annually on research and development to create new drugs. However, the cost of prescription drugs in America is rising despite these investment. Many consumers will still spend money on medication, even though they don't use them. One example is insulin, which costs $14 to $300 in the U.S. but just $6 to $30 in other countries.
The report looked at 35 major pharmaceutical companies that generate revenue via sales and produced EBITDA totalling $3.7 trillion. This was almost triple the amount of revenue generated by the S&P500. In contrast, profits at biopharmaceutical firms were lower than S&P 500.