A new survey conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that Americans do not think that information about the quality of health care providers is easy to come by, and they lack trust in information sources that tend to produce such indicators. …
One component of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is the federal government’s emphasis on collecting more health care quality data and making it transparent and accessible to the public. Major investments are being made in health care systems like Accountable Care Organizations and in tools like Physician Compare. Similarly, health insurers and employers are exploring new benefits designs that incentivize consumers to select providers and hospitals that provide the highest-quality care while reducing costs through value-based provider networks and tiered health plans.
These changes and the integration of provider quality information assume that health care consumers can understand health care quality and are able and willing to access such data and apply it to their health care decision- making. This new survey provides important data on this assumption and reveals the types of provider quality information consumers would use and trust. CONT.
Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research