When making workplace health-plan decisions, what type of healthcare information is desired by Iowa employers? Do employers know about web-based resources on Iowa hospitals? Who do employers trust to be their primary source for health-related data?
We asked a series of important questions in our 2013 Study. And, you might be surprised by the results.
As you might imagine, the needs and desires can vary greatly based on employer size. Using a 6-point scale, with 6 being ‘most important,’ Iowa employers responded that ‘Cost’ information was most important to have (4.9 score), with the largest of employers (1000+ employees) scoring this a 5.7. ‘Comparing Physicians’ followed next with an overall score of 4.5, while ‘Health Status/Wellness’ and ‘Comparing Hospitals’ both scored 4.4. Healthcare ‘Use’ finished with an overall score of 4.3.
As found in the chart below, Iowa employers are unfamiliar with existing web-based resources on Iowa hospitals. Larger employers appear to be more aware of these web resources, but only a very small number of employers reported being ‘Very Aware’ of this on-line information. In case you are curious, some of this information might be found on the Iowa Hospital Association and Iowa Healthcare Collaborative websites. As mentioned earlier, ‘cost’ information appears to be most desired, followed by comparing physicians and hospitals, presumably on quality-related metrics.
When employers responded to how optimistic they are on the effectiveness of ‘Medical Homes’ and ‘Chronic Disease Management Programs,’ employers with over 1000 employees were at least twice as likely to be optimistic (43 percent) than smaller employers with under 250 employees. Overall, only 21 percent felt optimistic about these initiatives being effective to improve workforce health. Another 30 percent were not that optimistic and responded that such initiatives will make ‘No Difference.’ Half of all employers indicated that they would need to have more information on both programs before making judgments as to the effectiveness of health improvement.
So, if organizations desire critical information to make future decisions on workforce health, it begs the question who they desire to be the primary source of this information. This question elicits some very interesting results.
Overall, 27 percent of Iowa employers desire insurance companies to be the primary source of health information. Yet interestingly, the largest employers with 1000+ employees were less likely to desire insurance carriers to be the primary source – only 18 percent voiced their interest. Only three percent of organizations desired the government to be the primary source of health information, which speaks volumes about their lack of appetite for a single-payer system.
The preponderance of organizations (two-thirds) voiced their desire for ‘Health Providers’ (hospitals and physicians) to be the primary source of health information to help manage their costs. More questions will need to be asked of organizations in the future as to ‘why’ they desire health providers to be the primary source, but my initial take is simply they appear to trust this source more than other sources.
The healthcare provider community may take some comfort in knowing that a majority of employers view them as a trusted resource. With this trust, however, comes the responsibility to validate and enhance it by providing a greater array of transparent information on costs and delivering higher-quality outcomes. From our 2014 Study, we know that employers expect to receive reasonable costs, consistent quality of care and safe care that is appropriately delivered to patients.
This type of feedback for insurance companies is most assuredly humbling. Yet, it should also re-awaken the pursuit of new initiatives to make inroads on gaining a trust-related partnership with their clients. The silver lining for both health providers and insurance companies reveals lots of room for improvement – and immense opportunities. But opportunities can only happen if relentlessly – and thoughtfully – pursued.
Trust is the currency of commerce. In our healthcare world, we can always use more of it.
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