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Patients shop around most for colonoscopies, mammograms
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Patients who used a price transparency tool through their health insurance most frequently searched for colonoscopies, mammograms and childbirth services, according to a study published in Health Affairs.
Further, the researchers also found that millennials with higher annual deductible spending most frequently shopped for lower cost health care services.
“Previous studies have not identified the medical services for which individuals are most interested in getting prices, or the characteristics of people who use transparency tools,” Anna Sinaiko, PhD, a research scientist in the Department of Health Policy and Management at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said in a press release. “This research gives the first detailed look at patterns of use of a sophisticated price transparency tool by individuals.”
Sinaiko, and colleague Meredith B. Rosenthal, PhD, professor of health economics and policy in the same department, evaluated how adults aged 19 to 64 years who were insured by Aetna used a web-based price transparency tool provided by the insurer from 2011 through 2012.
The tool, called the Member Payment Estimator, “uses claims adjudication logic to provide real-time, personalized, episode-level estimates of both total prices and a patient’s out-of-pocket expenses at specific providers for over 650 medical services,” the researchers wrote.
Overall 332,255 people (3%) who had access to the Member Payment Estimator used it, according to the press release. Those who used the tool were more likely to be women, be younger, use medical care, have fewer comorbidities, and have higher annual deductible spending ( ≥ $1,250).
“Our finding that people with greater out-of-pocket expenses were more likely to search the Member Payment Estimator likely reflects the fact that consumers with generous insurance are insulated from price variation and are less sensitive to price,” the researchers wrote. “The lower use of the tool by people with comorbidities may reflect either a lower propensity within this population to comparison shop or the fact that they already have knowledge about prices and providers because of their greater experience with the health care system.”
People searched most often for planned, or “shoppable services,” such as colonoscopy (top searched in both 2011 and 2012) and mammogram (second and third most searched in 2011 and 2012, respectively). They also commonly searched for a number of imaging services, as well as obstetrical care, physician office visits and certain outpatient procedures like knee replacement, tonsillectomy or hernia repair.
“Raising consumer awareness about absolute and relative prices of health care services is an important piece of the puzzle for increasing value in our system,” Rosenthal said in the press release. “While the tools for giving consumers meaningful price information have become quite sophisticated, increasing engagement of more patients in these efforts remains a work in progress.” – by Adam Leitenberger
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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