By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Can Decision Aids Help Lower Medical Costs?
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > Can Decision Aids Help Lower Medical Costs?
Business

Can Decision Aids Help Lower Medical Costs?

DavidEWilliams
DavidEWilliams
Share
3 Min Read
SHARE

The third-party reimbursement model drives up medical costs because patients miss out on the price signals that in a normal market would cause them to seek less costly alternatives and avoid wasteful spending. Various types of cost-sharing approaches –co-payments, deductibles, tiered networks, consumer directed health plans– have been tried, but they have limited effectiveness.

The third-party reimbursement model drives up medical costs because patients miss out on the price signals that in a normal market would cause them to seek less costly alternatives and avoid wasteful spending. Various types of cost-sharing approaches –co-payments, deductibles, tiered networks, consumer directed health plans– have been tried, but they have limited effectiveness. A major shortcoming is the assumption that patients actually want more health care services, just like they would presumably go wild in the Apple store or Nordstrom if you set them loose there with a co-pay and formulary.

I believe that patients actually just want to get better and that they will be willing to forego expensive services and products when it makes sense to do so. Therefore I’m heartened by the results of a study published in Health Affairs (Introducing Decision Aids At Group Health Was Linked To Sharply Lower Hip And Knee Surgery And Costs). Here’s the abstract:

Decision aids are evidence-based sources of health information that can help patients make informed treatment decisions. However, little is known about how decision aids affect health care use when they are implemented outside of randomized controlled clinical trials. We conducted an observational study to examine the associations between introducing decision aids for hip and knee osteoarthritis and rates of joint replacement surgery and costs in a large health system in Washington State. Consistent with prior randomized trials, our introduction of decision aids was associated with 26 percent fewer hip replacement surgeries, 38 percent fewer knee replacements, and 12–21 percent lower costs over six months. These findings support the concept that patient decision aids for some health conditions, for which treatment decisions are highly sensitive to both patients’ and physicians’ preferences, may reduce rates of elective surgery and lower costs.

More Read

How to Improve Outcomes and Satisfaction of New Surgery Patients
How to Improve Outcomes and Satisfaction of New Surgery Patients
How do we achieve coordinated health care?
How to Engage Physicians with the New ACO Benefits
Academic Medical Center Advertising: Pump Up the Volume
5 Effective Strategies to Help Grow Your Physical Therapy Business

This approach is no panacea. For example it only applies to a subset of medical costs. But it confirms to me that patients are more than willing to entertain less costly interventions when it makes sense to do so.

 

 


TAGGED:decision aids
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Epidemiological Health Benefits
Personal and Epidemiological Health Benefits of Blood Pressure Management
Health
October 13, 2025
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Understanding Traumatic Brain Injuries: What Families Need to Know
Policy & Law
October 10, 2025
Remote Monitoring touchpoints
Remote Monitoring Touchpoints Patients Will Actually Follow
Technology
October 9, 2025
dental care
Importance of Good Dental Care for Health and Confidence
Dental health Specialties
October 2, 2025

You Might also Like

Top Quotes of the Week

May 27, 2011
family and patient advisory council
BusinessHospital Administration

Patient and Family Advisory Council: Lessons Learned

October 18, 2014

Hospital Ratings on Patient Experience

July 11, 2012

Ask an MD: How Do We Get More Doctors Involved in Marketing and Social Media Strategy?

September 15, 2013
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?