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
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    UV damage to eyes
    Warning Signs of Long-Term UV Damage to Your Eyes
    December 9, 2021
    degree for healthcare job
    The Ultimate Healthcare Recruiting and Staffing Guidebook
    March 21, 2022
    medicare part d benefits
    Everything that You Need to Know About Medicare Part D
    August 15, 2022
    Latest News
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
    The Hidden Impact Of Stress On Your Body’s Alignment And Balance
    May 22, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Conservatives: The Utah Health Exchange is Not a Model
    July 23, 2011
    Medical Malpractice Reform Losing Physician Support
    November 7, 2011
    Hospitals Aim to Apply Direct Payments of Care Delivery to Increase Resources
    August 28, 2012
    Latest News
    Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
    June 25, 2025
    When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
    June 20, 2025
    Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
    June 15, 2025
    Strengthening Healthcare Systems Through Clinical and Administrative Career Development
    June 13, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Transparency in HealthCare: Sunshine is the Best Disinfectant
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 > Policy & Law > Transparency in HealthCare: Sunshine is the Best Disinfectant
Policy & Law

Transparency in HealthCare: Sunshine is the Best Disinfectant

drkevin1951
Last updated: June 7, 2012 9:04 am
drkevin1951
Share
5 Min Read
SHARE

 

 

From The Fickenscher Files of 6/6/2012

 

More Read

Saving NHS Funding by Redirecting Frequent Callers
Making Prevention a Priority
Seeing Beyond the Physician’s Words to Their Hearts
Ted Cruz Filibuster Misses the Mark
Pay for Performance Attacks Medical Quality: Lincoln Lucks Out

 

From The Fickenscher Files of 6/6/2012

The Health Care Cost Institute issued a new report outlining the unique opportunity we have for improving care through transparency of information.

Lost within the morass of what has become our nation’s great debate on how to improve health care is the lost treasure trove of data which has existed but is unavailable. The data is the price that hospitals charge insurers, which services private insured patient use more frequently and what motivates true changes in healthcare consumption. Up until recently, this information was confidential and many analysts only had a limited scope of data with which to work.  But, last week everything changed.

The non-partisan, non-profit organization, Health Care Cost Institute, has a partnered with insurance giants including Aetna, Humana and UnitedHealthcare –– companies that represent nearly 20 percent of all insured Americans –– to dig through their data.  To safeguard against privacy, the information use by the Institute was cleaned of any personal or identifying information and the institute has shed light on some interesting trends occurring in our health care system today.

The most eyebrow-raising trend discovered in this data was that health care spending, though still increasing, is rising at a rate much slower than in previous years. The reason?  It appears that people are now using less health care. According to the Institute’s findings, patients with employee-sponsored insurance had a 3.3 percent  drop in hospital admissions and a 3.1 percent  drop in outpatient visits from 2009 to 2010. As a result, patients are now spending at a significantly slower rate than they have in the past for the same services.

Researchers believe the change is due to two factors — the economy and a rising price of care. First, as we all know, the economic downturn has affected everyone’s wallet or pocketbook. Americans are spending less money on everything due to shrinking paychecks and job prospects. Some researchers see this downturn as the reason why patients are not seeking medical care. Secondly, the rising cost of health care is also a contributing factor. The Institute report found that the average out-of-pocket payment for a hospital admission went up by more than 10% to $700, while the cost of an outpatient visit also rose 10 percent to $162. Furthermore, patients paid roughly 16.2 percent of their total health care spending out-of-pocket in 2010 compared to 15.6 percent in 2009. So, is it the struggling economy or rising cost of care that has led to a decrease in health care utilization? The answer is both. With more Americans making less money, our nation’s citizens also have fewer resources to spend on health –– even though it’s vital.  What is less well understood at this point is the disparities that will evolve over time among various economic groups if the trend continues.

What is important though is that this new information illustrates not only some general trends but also appears to be the tip of an iceberg. The analysts at the Institute note that by increasing the transparency of our medical system, we will no doubt have even more ability to identify potential improvements and ways we can deliver more efficient care through an analysis of the data base. Kudos go to Aetna, Humana and UnitedHealthCare for releasing their data. I’ve heard that Kaiser is close to joining their colleagues and we should expect that the pressure is now on the industry to follow suit.

A wise man, Justice Louis Brandeis, U.S. Supreme Court, once said, “sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants …” With more available data we can shed light on where health care in America can be improved. The greater challenge will now be to put this data into actionable objectives. The transparency of insurer data bases provides us with yet another lever to create knowledge so that needed change can be supported in healthcare.  We should not waste this opportunity. Let’s get to work …

TAGGED:transparency
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

women dental care
What Is a Smile Makeover and How Much Does It Cost?
Dental health
June 30, 2025
HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps
Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
June 25, 2025
recovering from injury
Rebuilding After Injury: Path to Physical and Emotional Recovery
News
June 22, 2025
scientist using microscope
When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
Global Healthcare
June 18, 2025

You Might also Like

Social Media Safety: Virtual Connections Provide Realtime Results

October 23, 2014
Image
Medical Education

Person-Centered HealthCare: Medical Schools’ Efforts to Address Primary Care Needs

May 3, 2013
ethnic disparities healthcare
Health ReformNewsPolicy & LawPublic Health

Closing Racial and Ethnic Disparity Gaps: Implications of the Affordable Care Act

June 1, 2013
Angelina Jolie breast cancer
DiagnosticsMedical EthicsPolicy & LawPublic HealthWellness

Angelina Jolie, BRCA1, Public Health and Patent Law

May 18, 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?