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
    What Are the Benefits of CBD?
    November 27, 2021
    How to Measure Adult Diapers- The Ultimate Guide to Picking the Right Size
    March 8, 2022
    medicine cabinet
    The Effect Of Finished Dosage Form Manufacturing In New Drugs
    July 5, 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
    Tooth Decay Marielaina Perrone DDS
    Is Your Child’s Education Affected By Tooth Decay?
    December 13, 2012
    Image
    Millions of Americans Could Lose ACA Subsidies
    July 21, 2014
    Image
    IVF: The Three Biggest Myths
    March 22, 2013
    Latest News
    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
    Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
    May 18, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Transparency in Health Care: Can It Happen?
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 > Finance > Transparency in Health Care: Can It Happen?
BusinessFinanceHealth ReformHospital AdministrationPolicy & LawPublic Health

Transparency in Health Care: Can It Happen?

Brad Wright
Last updated: February 27, 2014 9:00 am
Brad Wright
Share
5 Min Read
Transparency in healthcare
SHARE

Transparency in healthcareMost people, regardless of their political leaning, can agree that the market for health care in the United States isn’t really working well. Take one step further, though, and disagreement rapidly ensues.

Transparency in healthcareMost people, regardless of their political leaning, can agree that the market for health care in the United States isn’t really working well. Take one step further, though, and disagreement rapidly ensues. On the left, the common understanding is that a market failure has occurred, and that the proper thing to do is have government intervene to correct that failure–usually by expanding public insurance programs, subsidizing private insurance, and the like. On the right, the common understanding is that the market hasn’t exactly failed, but that it could certainly be improved if we got government out of the way, stopped insulating people from the costs of their care, and made consumers better informed. In other words, take care of the information asymmetry that exists in health care, and the market will right itself.

There are some obvious limitations to health care markets. For example, even with perfect information, someone with a heart attack is highly unlikely to comparison shop for the best doctor or hospital in their area. Yet, just as it’s hard to disagree that the market isn’t working well, it’s hard to argue that there isn’t a problem with information on health care prices and quality that a consumer needs to make rational choices. Moreover, while it won’t solve all of our problems, I do think that increasing people’s access to information about health care prices and quality could help to bring some of our market inefficiencies under control. But the real question is: can transparency in health care happen in the United States?

Across the country, eleven states have indicated that they believe it can, by attempting to increase pricing transparency for health care procedures. The rationale is simple: Tell people what different things cost, and they’ll more likely opt for lower-cost providers, which will lead to an overall reduction in costs as providers begin competing with one another on the basis of price. There are a few problems with this, though. First, it requires a pretty sizable data collection effort. For instance, Colorado has begun work on an all-payers claims database. Second, interpreting the cost data can be a challenge, because the out-of-pocket cost someone pays is largely a factor of their insurance coverage. In other words, if you have excellent coverage, you probably care little about how much your provider charges, and more about what you actually pay. And, finally, we humans can make the mistake that higher priced goods and services must inherently be better goods and services. After all, you get what you pay for, as the saying goes.

More Read

Image
Emperor Cholesterol Has No Clothes!
Care and Feeding of Doctor Online Presence, Reputation and Brand
How Will We Care for Six Million Centenarians by 2050?- Video
HealthCare Marketing: Choosing the Right Healthcare Advertising Channel
Wonder What Would Happen If A Hospital Near You Closed? Read This.

Of course, we know that’s not always true. But in health care, measuring quality can also be a rather elusive goal. Sure, we can capture process measures for recommend treatments like administering a beta blocker to a heart attack patient, but is that really what consumers care about? On some level, yes, but they also care about how nice the waiting room is, and how the staff and the providers treat them. We have things like Google Reviews and Yelp for consumer reviews of hotels, restaurants, and other businesses. And, in fact, there are numerous sites out there for reviewing medical providers. The question is: Are they useful?

A recent survey study, just published in JAMA, finds that people aren’t really engaged with these sites the way they are with others. In fact, just 5% of respondents indicated that they had reviewed their own provider online, 23% of respondents reported using such reviews when selecting a primary care provider, and only 19% considered the reviews to be very important in their decision. Of course, these types of reviews are only part of ascertaining provider quality, but their limited use raises the issue of whether other efforts at transparency will be more effective. Unfortunately, I don’t have an answer for you, but I’d be extremely curious to hear what you think as an existing or potential consumer of health care.

 

(transparency in healthcare / shutterstock)

TAGGED:transparency
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

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
How Therapy Can Improve Your Mental Health and Daily Life
How Therapy Can Improve Your Mental Health and Daily Life
Mental Health
June 18, 2025
healthcare facilities
Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
Global Healthcare Infographics
June 15, 2025

You Might also Like

Collaborating for Population Health Management Strategy

December 30, 2012
eHealthPolicy & Law

4 Reasons Why Medical Device Compliance Matters

May 22, 2020

Dog Versus Treadmill: No Contest

March 16, 2011
pharma patient education
Business

Metaphor in Video: Simple Ways to Improve Patient Education and Boost ROI

August 16, 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?