Physician incentives and disclosure of payment methods to patients.

OBJECTIVE: There is increasing public discussion of the value of disclosing how physicians are paid. However, little is known about patients' awareness of and interest in physician payment information or its potential impact on patients' evaluation of their care. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey SETTING: Managed care and indemnity plans of a large, national health insurer. PARTICIPANTS: Telephone interviews were conducted with 2,086 adult patients in Atlanta, Ga; Baltimore, Md/Washington DC; and Orlando, Fla (response rate, 54%). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Patients were interviewed to assess perceptions of their physicians' payment method, preference for disclosure, and perceived effect of different financial incentives on quality of care. Non-managed fee-for-service patients (44%) were more likely to correctly identify how their physicians were paid than those with salaried (32%) or capitated (16%) physicians. Just over half (54%) wanted to be informed about their physicians' payment METHOD: Patients of capitated and salaried physicians were as likely to want disclosure as patients of fee-for-service physicians. College graduates were more likely to prefer disclosure than other patients. Many patients (76%) thought a bonus paid for ordering fewer than the average number of tests would adversely affect the quality of their care. About half of the patients (53%) thought a particular type of withhold would adversely affect the quality of their care. White patients, college graduates, and those who had higher incomes were more likely to think that these types of bonuses and withholds would have a negative impact on their care. Among patients who believed that these types of bonuses adversely affected care, those with non-managed fee-for-service insurance and college graduates were more willing to pay a higher deductible or co-payment in order to get tests that they thought were necessary. CONCLUSIONS: Most patients were unaware of how their physicians are paid, and only about half wanted to know. Most believed that bonuses or withholds designed to reduce the use of services would adversely affect the quality of their care. Lack of knowledge combined with strong attitudes about various financial incentives suggest that improved patient education could clarify patient understanding of the nature and rationale for different types of incentives. More public discussion of this important topic is warranted.

Barriers to using cost-effectiveness analysis in managed care decision making.

Managed care organizations would appear to be natural advocates for, and users of, cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) as a tool for maximizing health outcomes for their covered populations within fixed budgets. There is, however, little evidence that CEA plays a major role in managed care decision making. The purpose of this paper is to identify barriers to both conducting and using CEA in managed care decision making. Lack of understanding about the value and applicability of CEA, and incentives that do not align with a lifetime perspective on either health outcomes or costs may be at least as important as perceived or real methodological limitations of the methodology. Research focused on ways to overcome these barriers, and thereby improve resource allocations, is recommended.

Prenatal care for low-income women enrolled in a managed-care organization.

OBJECTIVE: To determine barriers to prenatal care among managed-care enrollees who receive Medicaid. METHODS: In-person interviews were conducted with women 13-45 years old who were members of the Prudential HealthCare Community Plan in Memphis, Tennessee. Interview data were linked to medical chart reviews for 200 women who were currently pregnant or had delivered a baby since enrollment in Prudential. Factors related to untimely entry to prenatal care and inadequate prenatal visits were examined. RESULTS: More than half of the respondents had either untimely entry to or inadequate prenatal care. Overall, 89% of respondents had favorable attitudes about prenatal care. Several system and personal factors were associated with receipt of early or adequate prenatal care. Multivariate analysis showed that one system and two personal factors remained significantly related to entry to prenatal care. Women who entered Prudential during pregnancy were 2.4 times more likely (95% CI 1.1, 5.0) to receive late care than women who enrolled before pregnancy. Women who felt too tired to go for care were 2.2 times more likely (95% CI 1.0, 4.9) to receive late care. Women who experienced physical violence during pregnancy were 3.5 times more likely (95% CI 1.0, 12.0) to receive late care. Multivariate analysis with adequacy of prenatal care as the outcome showed several personal factors that increased odds of receiving inadequate prenatal care; however, only help from the infant's father was significantly related to adequacy of prenatal care. Women who did not have much help from the infant's father were 1.9 times more likely not to have adequate care (95% CI 1.0, 3.6). CONCLUSION: Even when affordable care was available, many low-income women did not avail themselves of it. Although women knew the importance of prenatal care, there was a gap between attitudes and actually seeking appropriate care. System and personal factors need to be addressed to overcome barriers to prenatal care.

Health literacy among Medicare enrollees in a managed care organization.

CONTEXT: Elderly patients may have limited ability to read and comprehend medical information pertinent to their health. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of low functional health literacy among community-dwelling Medicare enrollees in a national managed care organization. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Four Prudential HealthCare plans (Cleveland, Ohio; Houston, Tex; south Florida; Tampa, Fla). PARTICIPANTS: A total of 3260 new Medicare enrollees aged 65 years or older were interviewed in person between June and December 1997 (853 in Cleveland, 498 in Houston, 975 in south Florida, 934 in Tampa); 2956 spoke English and 304 spoke Spanish as their native language. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE; Functional health literacy as measured by the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults. RESULTS: Overall, 33.9% of English-speaking and 53.9% of Spanish-speaking respondents had inadequate or marginal health literacy. The prevalence of inadequate or marginal functional health literacy among English speakers ranged from 26.8% to 44.0%. In multivariate analysis, study location, race/language, age, years of school completed, occupation, and cognitive impairment were significantly associated with inadequate or marginal literacy. Reading ability declined dramatically with age, even after adjusting for years of school completed and cognitive impairment. The adjusted odds ratio for having inadequate or marginal health literacy was 8.62 (95% confidence interval, 5.55-13.38) for enrollees aged 85 years or older compared with individuals aged 65 to 69 years. CONCLUSIONS: Elderly managed care enrollees may not have the literacy skills necessary to function adequately in the health care environment. Low health literacy may impair elderly patients' understanding of health messages and limit their ability to care for their medical problems.

Prenatal care in the first trimester: misleading findings from HEDIS. Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set.

OBJECTIVE: To understand factors influencing Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS) rates for the measure 'Prenatal care in the first trimester'. DESIGN: Telephone survey of a retrospective cohort of women with a live birth. Medical record review of a sample of both responders and non-responders to the telephone survey. Detailed review of HEDIS data collection procedures. SETTING: A managed care plan in California. STUDY PARTICIPANTS: Women aged 18-49 years at date of delivery, who delivered a live birth from 1 October 1995 through 31 March 1996, and who were continuously enrolled in a California managed care plan for 12 months prior to delivery (telephone survey, n= 1,185; medical record review, n= 465). RESULTS: Of the women participating in the telephone survey, 95% indicated that their first prenatal visit occurred during the first 3 months of pregnancy. Using HEDIS 3.0 standards, a review of medical records for a sample of these women indicated that 94% of the women initiated care during the first trimester. These results contrasted sharply with 1995 and 1996 HEDIS rates of 64% and 75%, respectively. CONCLUSION: An investigation of the discrepancy between HEDIS rates and rates from both telephone survey and medical record review led to the finding that the low HEDIS rates were due not to a true low rate of early care, but to data collection problems, including difficulty obtaining medical records. Potential solutions involving health plan activities, revisions to the official HEDIS process and revised reporting of results are proposed.

The relationship between method of physician payment and patient trust.

CONTEXT: Trust is the cornerstone of the patient-physician relationship. Payment methods that place physicians at financial risk have raised concerns about patients' trust in physicians to act in patients' best interests. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the extent to which methods of physician payment are related to patient trust. DESIGN: Cross-sectional telephone interview survey done between January and June 1997. SETTING: Health plans of a large national insurer in Atlanta, Ga, the Baltimore, Md-Washington, DC, area, and Orlando, Fla. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 2086 adult managed care and indemnity patients. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: A 10-item scale (alpha = .94) assessing patients' trust in physicians. RESULTS: More fee-for-service (FFS) indemnity patients (94%) completely or mostly trust their physicians to "put their health and well-being above keeping down the health plan's costs" than salary (77%), capitated (83%), or FFS managed care patients (85%) (P<.001 for pairwise comparisons). In multivariate analyses that adjusted for potentially confounding factors, FFS indemnity patients also had higher scores on the 10-item trust scale than salary (P<.001), capitated (P<.001), or FFS managed care patients (P<.01). The effects of payment method on patient trust were reduced when a measure based on patients' reports about physician behavior (eg, Does your physician take enough time to answer your questions?) was included in the regression analyses, but the differences remained statistically significant, except for the comparison between FFS managed care and FFS indemnity patients (P=.08). Patients' perceptions of how their physicians were paid were not independently associated with trust, but the 37.7% who said they did not know how their physicians were paid had higher levels of trust than other patients (P<.01). A total of 30.2% of patients were incorrect about their physicians' method of payment. CONCLUSIONS: Most patients trusted their physicians, but FFS indemnity patients have higher levels of trust than salary, capitated, or FFS managed care patients. Patients' reports of physician behavior accounted for part of the variation in patients' trust in physicians who are paid differently. The impact of payment methods on patient trust may be mediated partly by physician behavior.

Lipid screening in a managed care population.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the proportion of patients in a managed care setting who were screened and followed up for high blood cholesterol in accordance with the guidelines from the second report of the National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel II. METHODS: The authors conducted a retrospective review of the medical records of 1004 health plan members ages 40-64 who had been continuously enrolled over a period of five years at one of three Prudential Health-Care sites. RESULTS: Eighty-four percent of patients in the study group had at least one total blood cholesterol level recorded in their medical records; a high density lipoprotein level was recorded for 67%. Cholesterol screening was highest among patients with a diagnosis of hypercholesterolemia (98%), hypertension (96%), or diabetes (94%) and among patients ages 60-64 (94%). Cholesterol screening did not vary by smoking status. More than 86% of those with a diagnosis of hypercholesterolemia were given dietary counseling, medication, or both. CONCLUSIONS: Compliance with national guidelines in this setting exceeded the Year 2000 goals for lipid management and was comparable with compliance reported in other settings. Routine surveillance of prevention efforts can be a useful way to assess quality of medical care in managed care organizations.

Patients' trust in their physicians: effects of choice, continuity, and payment method.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the extent to which physician choice, length of patient-physician relationship, and perceived physician payment method predict patients' trust in their physician. DESIGN: Survey of patients of physicians in Atlanta, Georgia. PATIENTS: Subjects were 292 patients aged 18 years and older. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Scale of patients' trust in their physician was the main outcome measure. Most patients completely trusted their physicians "to put their needs above all other considerations" (69%). Patients who reported having enough choice of physician (p < .05), a longer relationship with the physician (p < .001), and who trusted their managed care organization (p < .001) were more likely to trust their physician. Approximately two thirds of all respondents did not know the method by which their physician was paid. The majority of patients believed paying a physician each time a test is done rather than a fixed monthly amount would not affect their care (72.4%). However, 40.5% of all respondents believed paying a physician more for ordering fewer than the average number of tests would make their care worse. Of these patients, 53.3% would accept higher copayments to obtain necessary medical tests. CONCLUSIONS: Patients' trust in their physician is related to having a choice of physicians, having a longer relationship with their physician, and trusting their managed care organization. Most patients are unaware of their physician's payment method, but many are concerned about payment methods that might discourage medical use.

Nurse case management to improve glycemic control in diabetic patients in a health maintenance organization. A randomized, controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Control of hyperglycemia delays or prevents complications of diabetes, but many persons with diabetes do not achieve optimal control. OBJECTIVE: To compare diabetes control in patients receiving nurse case management and patients receiving usual care. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled trial. SETTING: Primary care clinics in a group-model health maintenance organization (HMO). PATIENTS: 17 patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus and 121 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. INTERVENTION: The nurse case manager followed written management algorithms under the direction of a family physician and an endocrinologist. Changes in therapy were communicated to primary care physicians. All patients received ongoing care through their primary care physicians. MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) value, was measured at baseline and at 12 months. Fasting blood glucose levels, medication type and dose, body weight, blood pressure, lipid levels, patient-perceived health status, episodes of severe hypoglycemia, and emergency department and hospital admissions were also assessed. RESULTS: 72% of patients completed follow-up. Patients in the nurse case management group had mean decreases of 1.7 percentage points in HbA1c values and 43 mg/dL (2.38 mmol/L) in fasting glucose levels; patients in the usual care group had decreases of 0.6 percentage points in HbA1c values and 15 mg/dL (0.83 mmol/L) in fasting glucose levels (P < 0.01). Self-reported health status improved in the nurse case management group (P = 0.02). The nurse case management intervention was not associated with statistically significant changes in medication type or dose, body weight, blood pressure, or lipids or with adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: A nurse case manager with considerable management responsibility can, in association with primary care physicians and an endocrinologist, help improve glycemic control in diabetic patients in a group-model HMO.

Economic aspects of the perinatal hospital stay.

This article concentrates on the economics of the perinatal hospital stay for normal vaginal and cesarean section deliveries. Published studies in the United States are reviewed under three headings: inpatient costs for traditional stays, outpatient costs for postpartum services, and costs for short stays with follow-up services. Despite the increasing attention on length of stay after delivery, there has been minimal research examining the true costs of an early discharge program and services compared with longer hospital stays. Formal analysis of alternative strategies and well-designed clinical studies are needed before an optimal policy for caring for mothers and infants can be identified.

Managed care and public health.

Both public health and managed care organizations share an interest in ensuring the health status of a defined population. We explore the existing and potential relationships between managed care organizations and public health in several major public health areas, specifically clinical preventive services, prevention-oriented social and political policies, and core public health functions. The latter include health information, health education, personal health services provision, work force and research, community partnerships, and evaluation of health care. We believe there is much potential to improve the population's health through the collaboration of these two sectors of the health care system.

Measuring pediatric immunization status in a managed care organization: agreement between medical charts and parent telephone interviews.

OBJECTIVE: To measure the agreement between pediatric immunization data obtained from medical charts and data provided by parents during telephone interviews and to assess the reliability of immunization information provided during parent telephone interviews. DESIGN: Medical charts reviews and telephone interviews with parents. SETTING: Prudential HealthCare. PARTICIPANTS: Children sampled for the 1993 HEDIS study and the parents of those children (n = 356). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Overall agreement between immunization data obtained from medical charts and data provided by parents during telephone interviews. RESULTS: Agreement between immunization data obtained from medical charts and data provided in parent telephone interviews varies from poor to good if the parent refers to a shot record during the interview. Agreement between the two data sources is better with single dose vaccines (i.e., 1 MMR) than multiple dose vaccines (i.e., 4 DTP). Although parents tend to report fewer immunizations than are indicated in the child's medical chart, the medical charts in this study contained too many vaccine omissions to be considered reliable "gold standards" of vaccine receipt. Parents who refer to a shot record when providing information about pediatric immunizations provide reliable data (r = .8807-1.0). CONCLUSION: When measuring completion of the immunization series, especially among parents who do not have access to a shot record, medical chart reviews remain the better approach in the managed care setting.

Evaluation of three methods for improving mammography rates in a managed care plan.

INTRODUCTION: Mammography has been shown to reduce breast cancer mortality among women 50 and older. Although mammography rates are increasing nationally, this effective screening tool remains underused. This study was conducted among 395 women who were members of a network model health maintenance organization (HMO) in Philadelphia in order to determine which of three methods was most effective in increasing mammography rates: (1) a birthday card reminder only (the standard method); (2) a personalized letter from the medical director and materials promoting mammography; and (3) a multicomponent phone call incorporating a reminder, counseling, and scheduling of appointments. An additional goal was to determine whether the interventions were more or less effective depending on a woman's readiness to get a mammogram, as measured by stage of change. METHODS: Eligible women were randomized into one of three treatment groups described earlier. Mammography rates were calculated on the basis of a claims review and follow-up phone interviews after a period of six months. RESULTS: Women who received the telephone intervention were most likely to obtain a mammogram (28%); followed by the group that received the birthday card only (15%), and those who received the mailed intervention (9%). CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that a multicomponent phone intervention is significantly effective in promoting mammography in managed health care plan members. An analysis by women's stage of change found a difference in the effectiveness of the three interventions among contemplators only.

Maternity experiences in a managed care organization.

We conducted a telephone survey of female managed care enrollees who recently had a normal vaginal delivery to examine the relationship between hospital length-of-stay and maternal characteristics, pregnancy factors, length-of-stay preferences, and postdischarge experiences. Results indicated that length-of-stay varied by maternal characteristics and pregnancy factors. Length-of-stay and maternal or newborn readmissions were not statistically associated. Most respondents reported that they would be willing to go home within twenty-four hours after future deliveries if additional services were provided. Emphasis should be placed on which services can be provided to prepare and assist mothers through the perinatal period.