Patricia Salber, MD, MBA, of The Doctor Weighs In, doesn’t believe the healthcare industry will become anything like that of the retail or travel industry, as healthcare is very complicated and consumers may not always be making their own decisions, especially in cases where patients are seeking hospital treatment.
Patricia Salber, MD, MBA, of The Doctor Weighs In, doesn’t believe the healthcare industry will become anything like that of the retail or travel industry, as healthcare is very complicated and consumers may not always be making their own decisions, especially in cases where patients are seeking hospital treatment.
Transcript (slightly modified)
Will healthcare consumerization ever reach a point that the industry becomes more like the retail and travel industries?
Well I don’t think it will because healthcare is so much more complicated and has such larger consequences for individuals and their families compared to the kinds of things that you buy on Amazon, right. And people talk about transparency and how transparency will help drive consumerism, but the fact is there are some things that no matter how transparent you are in the costs, consumers aren’t going to be able to make that decision.
So an example is, I’m unconscious in the ambulance, I don’t really get to make a determination of which hospital I go to, particularly if I’ve been in a car crash and there’s a trauma center. That decision’s going to be made for me, regardless of whatever price implications there are. If I know all the costs of the drugs, and it’s a case of getting one of these expensive drugs versus getting chemotherapy, am I really going to make that decision? I’m not going to make that decision.
I think transparency helps people make decisions around the margins but not around the big ticket items that really make a difference in our lives. Even with respect to health insurance, most people don’t truly make an informed decision, a truly informed decision, on which health plan they’re going to go with.
Dr Dalia Rotstein: Physicians Must Be Aware MS Affects People of All Backgrounds
April 24th 2024Dalia Rotstein, MD, MPH, emphazises the importance of awareness that multiple sclerosis (MS) impacts patients from various backgrounds as clinicians think through ways to improve access to care and research efforts in MS.
Read More
Examining Low-Value Cancer Care Trends Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic
April 25th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the April 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on the rates of low-value cancer care services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Listen
Beyond Insulin: The Impact of Next-Generation Diabetes Technology
April 17th 2024Experts explain how new diabetes technologies like continuous glucose monitors are transforming care beyond intensive insulin therapy, offering personalized insights and improving outcomes for patients of all treatment levels.
Read More
Empowering Community Health Through Wellness and Faith
April 23rd 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. In the third episode, Camille Clarke-Smith, EdD, MS, CHES, CPT, discusses approaching community health holistically through spiritual and community engagement.
Listen
Increasing Lp(a) Awareness for Better Cardiovascular Health: Dr Mary McGowan
March 24th 2024For Lp(a) Awareness Day, Mary McGowan, MD, FNLA, chief medical officer of the Family Heart Foundation, highlights how most people with elevated Lp(a) are completely unaware that they have this increased risk and calls for increased testing.
Read More