A system that allows patients and employers in the United States to compare healthcare services should not only focus on pricing but also on the quality of care provided. To make such a tool genuinely useful, comparisons based on the quality of healthcare are essential. Efforts to empower patients and employers to make better healthcare-related decisions have mainly focused on price competition. Recently, the U.S. House of Representatives passed another price transparency act aimed at hospitals and pharmacies. Here are three steps that would put the country on a path to create a comprehensive system for evaluating healthcare quality alongside price.
1. Encourage the Use of Patient-Centered Quality Metrics
Incentivizing the adoption of patient-centered quality measures at the condition level could significantly improve transparency in healthcare quality. These measures should focus on outcomes that matter most to patients, such as recovery times, complication rates, and patient satisfaction. By encouraging healthcare providers to adopt standardized quality metrics, patients would have a clearer understanding of the quality of care they can expect from different providers. This, in turn, would facilitate more informed decision-making when comparing healthcare options.
2. Identify Clinicians Meeting Specific Experience Criteria
The next crucial step involves identifying clinicians, such as surgeons, who meet a minimum volume threshold for common procedures. Research shows that clinicians who frequently perform specific procedures generally achieve better outcomes. Therefore, establishing and publicizing these thresholds would enable patients to choose clinicians based on verified experience and expertise. This would ensure they are not only selecting a provider based on cost but also on the likelihood of a successful outcome.
3. Ensure Accuracy of Clinician Directories
A system enabling patients and employers in the U.S. to compare healthcare services should prioritize both pricing and the quality of care. While price transparency is crucial, understanding the quality of healthcare services is equally important. For such a comparison tool to be genuinely beneficial, it must include detailed assessments of healthcare quality. Traditionally, efforts to aid patients and employers in making informed healthcare decisions have been geared mostly towards price competition. Recently, the U.S. House of Representatives passed new legislation to increase price transparency in hospitals and pharmacies. However, focusing solely on price can miss the bigger picture. A comprehensive system should aim to evaluate both these critical aspects. To set the nation on a track toward this ideal, three steps can be considered: defining clear quality metrics, ensuring these metrics are standardized and widely accessible, and integrating both cost and quality data into a single, user-friendly platform. By taking these steps, we can create a more holistic approach to comparing healthcare services, benefiting patients and employers alike.
