Altarum Comparison of Physician and Consumer Health Care Opinions - September 2012

Health care consumers are adapting to significant changes in how they can seek and select care. These include greater financial responsibility from increasing insurance deductibles; more information about quality, safety, and price of services; new alternatives to traditional care in retail clinics and telephonic services; and mobile and online tools to manage health, connect with other patients, or shop for lower prices. It is unclear whether most providers are aware of or prepared for these consumer trends or how their perception of these trends differs from those of consumers. In this survey, providers were asked similar questions to those posed to consumers to assess whether and in what ways their opinions and perceptions differ.

Altarum Institute’s Center for Consumer Choice in Health Care collaborated with the American Medical Group Association (AMGA) to survey physician perceptions of and experiences of consumerism behaviors in the patients they treat. Responses were gathered from both AMGA and a paid physician panel run by GFK Custom Research, Inc. Responses were collected from 622 physicians, with an approximate division of 50% family practice physicians and 50% specialists. Physicians were screened to include those where 50% or more of their patients are adults 18–64 years of age and where 50% or more are covered by traditional insurance. Physicians were asked to respond based on their knowledge of and experience with patients with traditional insurance rather than Medicare or Medicaid patients. The physicians’ results were then compared with the Altarum Fall 2011 Survey of Consumer Health Care Opinions.

Download the complete report: Altarum Comparison of Physician and Consumer Health Care Opinions

Summary of results:

• Physicians underestimate consumers’ concern about health care cost. View the results.
• Physicians underestimate consumer likelihood to switch doctors. View the results.
• There are variations between physician perceptions and consumer health care experiences. View the results.

Spring/Summer 2012 Altarum Survey of Consumer Health Care Opinions - August 2012

The Spring/Summer 2012 Altarum Survey of Consumer Health Care Opinions report covers several areas. To begin, it describes consumer health characteristics, cost sharing, and general perceptions about satisfaction with care. Next, it describes consumers’ preferred roles in decisions about health care and characteristics associated with wanting an active role. The report also summarizes consumer experience asking about price and quality of care and consumers’ confidence in finding and applying information to find better or less expensive care. It covers consumers’ use of technology for non-health-related purposes and whether familiarity with technology influences use of technology for health care-related reasons. Respondents also provided general information about trust of their own care providers. In addition, this report describes consumer reactions to proposed Food and Drug Administration (FDA) initiatives, giving consumers more control of diagnosis and treatment of chronic medical conditions. 

Download the complete report: Spring/Summer 2012 Altarum Survey of Consumer Health Care Opinions

Summary of Spring/Summer 2012 Altarum Survey of Consumer Health Care Opinions:

• Societal trends point to more consumerism in the future. View the results.
• Familiarity with online and mobile technologies increases likelihood of comparison shopping in health care. View the results.
• Shopping patterns for other services carry over to shopping in health care. View the results.
• A majority of consumers support the idea of self-diagnosis and self-prescribing. View the results.
• Consumers underestimate the likelihood of receiving unnecessary care. View the results.