Survey Shows Consumers and Healthcare Professionals Worried About Fragmented and Costly Healthcare

Wolters Kluwer, Health released new data from a survey of nearly 2,000 consumers, hospital executives, doctors and nurses in the U.S. on attitudes surrounding breakdowns in care, how costs shape care decisions and the influence of a broad lack of transparency within the healthcare system. Findings from the report, “Mending Healthcare in America 2020: Consumers & Cost,” showed alignment and deep divisions in how patients and providers view healthcare.

Diana Nole

“Leading up to the 2020 presidential election, there has been a shift in attitudes surrounding out of control healthcare costs and a complicated and opaque healthcare system that erodes the trust of consumers and providers. Our national survey echoes this dissatisfaction, but also illuminates that those on the front lines of delivering care are taking diverging, and sometimes conflicting, paths to mitigate their concerns and prioritize actions,” said Diana Nole, CEO of Wolters Kluwer, Health.

“Mending Healthcare in America 2020” examines where each stakeholder observes breakdowns, inconsistencies and a lack of transparency throughout the system and, subsequently, how they make care choices around those perceptions.

Key survey findings include:

Differences in cost of care? Consumers and providers know it’s a problem. 98% of survey respondents across the board agree that healthcare is inconsistent and costs and care vary by location, health system and even within departments at the same hospital.

While hospital executives, nurses and physicians are most optimistic that tackling challenges in healthcare variability will lead to better patient outcomes, they are skeptical that it will lead to increased transparency in prices.

Consumers will head to the polls with healthcare in mind. The majority of all four respondent groups say healthcare policy will be a main factor when they cast their presidential votes. Similar majorities say they will vote with their wallet, favoring the candidate who has a plan to respond to rising healthcare costs to them.

When patients take care into their own hands and it’s not what the doctor recommended. Consumers are willing to go against doctor’s orders and seek care at an alternative facility when there are pricing differences or where care is more reputable.

“Drug costs are the punching bag, but that is not what is driving up overall consumer costs,” said Dr. Peter Bonis, chief medical officer of clinical effectiveness, Wolters Kluwer, Health. “Patients get different care depending on where they live or which hospital they visit – that is what is severely driving up costs. The demand is high for new approaches to ensure consistent care and cost.”

While consumers want hospitals to address rising medication costs, all stakeholders look to relief from differences stemming from these costly healthcare gaps:

To read additional findings from the survey, please download the survey brief: http://healthclarity.wolterskluwer.com/mending-healthcare.html?utm_source=press&utm_medium=referrall&utm_campaign=mending-healthcare&utm_term=pr .


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