We live in an age of information overload. Mail piles up (both at the front door and in our e-mail inboxes) due to the volume we receive on a daily basis. Many of us quickly and automatically trash (or, if paper, recycle) everything but bills, personal or business letters, or other items that we can quickly identify as of interest or importance.
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Quality ratings of physicians and hospitals are intended to help consumers choose the most effective health care providers for their needs. Research has shown that individuals who choose highly rated health care providers see better results. However, quality ratings have not been shown to significantly affect the market share of providers, or to influence an employee’s decision-making process when choosing a physician or hospital. This leaves employers to ponder how to encourage employees to make better use of available data on health care provider quality.
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Though employer interest in consumer-directed health care plans may be growing, employee understanding of these plans—and of the health care system and its costs—remains inadequate. If this is the case, employers implementing high deductible health plans and health savings accounts are well advised to include heavy doses of employee education as part of the plan implementation.
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If long-term cost management is the goal, measures that shift a portion of current health care costs to employees seem to fall short. Though increasing employee cost sharing through adjustments in premiums, copayments and coinsurance can bring an employer a temporary respite from steep health plan cost increases, more employers are looking for a long-term strategy, and eyeing health and productivity initiatives as part of the solution.
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