title: Quality vs. costs? A survey of healthcare purchasing habits and concerns.
abstract: The results of the Fifth Annual Survey Report on Purchasing Value in Health Care show that to help control rising healthcare costs, most employers are offering employees more choice when it makes sense but fewer plans when they can strike a better bargain. Providers' favored tactics to reduce costs include reducing waste, reducing or eliminating certain services, increasing fees for some services, and improving medical management and information systems capabilities. Health plans overwhelmingly are focusing on increasing premiums to employers; they also are attempting to improve medical management and information systems capabilities. Many employers, health plans, and providers want to make their current arrangements work better. Improving the quality of customer service to purchasers and their employees is a top priority with both health plans and providers.
mesh_terms: D019985:Benchmarking; D003258:Consumer Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D017049:Employer Health Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006264:Health Benefit Plans, Employee / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D012051:Reimbursement Mechanisms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D014481:United States