title: Quality and service are paramount: a survey of healthcare purchasing trends.
abstract: According to the Sixth Annual Survey Report on Purchasing Value in Health Care, overall health plan premium costs for 2001 increased 10.3 percent for all plan types, with pharmaceutical costs rising at 14.6 percent. The survey shows that 70 percent of employers plan to pass at least some of the increased costs on to employees, but only 14 percent plan to reduce or eliminate coverage for certain services. Both providers and employers are more likely than are health plans to believe that cost pressures are hurting quality. Employers say they generally are satisfied with the quality of care their employees receive through their plans. Access and quality of care influence employers' health plan purchasing decisions more than cost, but health plans greatly underestimate the importance employers place on quality of care and effective administration. Most employers plan to increase use of the Internet for a broad range of activities, including annual enrollment, health and wellness promotion, and plan administration.
mesh_terms: D001294:Attitude to Health; D003625:Data Collection; D016527:Drug Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D017049:Employer Health Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D005249:Fees and Charges / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D006264:Health Benefit Plans, Employee / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends*; D019981:Health Care Sector / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D020407:Internet; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States