Doctors’ affiliations with large health systems may drive up costs
When primary care physicians work for or are affiliated with large health systems, their steering of patients toward specialists or other providers within those systems may be driving up health care costs, according to a new study led…
One in five surveyed would skip costly follow-up breast cancer screening
More than 20% of patients say they would forego follow-up tests after an abnormal mammogram if they had to pay a deductible, according to a recent study. The finding shows how health costs can interfere with the purpose…
Insulin cost cuts only a start to making diabetes more affordable, says expert
Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly’s recent decision to cut costs for its most popular insulin products was a positive move, but more work is needed to make overall diabetes care more affordable, particularly for the uninsured, according to Harvard…
Students juggle parenting and classroom responsibilities during a pandemic
Students in the new group Parents@Chan have come together to share resources and support.
Reducing short-interval births in South Carolina
The percentage of women and teen girls in South Carolina who received long-acting contraception shortly after giving birth increased after the state changed the way its Medicaid program reimbursed hospitals for the contraceptives, and short-interval births—subsequent childbirths within…
Access to personal health data presents challenges and opportunities for patients
Efforts are underway to give patients more access to their own health information, but whether they’ll be able to make good use of such data is unclear, according to experts. A March 11, 2019 Health Affairs blog co-authored…
No clear route for price transparency in health care
A June 3, 2018 article in Managed Care discussed efforts to improve health care cost transparency from providers and payers, including a push by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to have hospitals publicize their standard charges…
Comparing procedure costs impacts patients’ health facility choice
Consumers who used a health insurance plan’s cost-comparison tool to find out sleep study costs and imaging costs chose medical facilities that charged lower prices for the procedures, according to a Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health…
Colonoscopies and mammograms top list of ‘most-shopped’ health care services
Millennials with higher deductible spending compare prices most, study shows For immediate release: April 4, 2016 Boston, MA – Colonoscopies, mammograms, and childbirth services are the most searched-for medical services when it comes to cost information—and millennials with higher annual…
High-deductible health plans don’t boost price shopping
Consumers with high-deductible health plans do not appear to be more motivated to shop around for less expensive, higher quality medical care than those with lower-deductible plans, according to a study by Anna Sinaiko, research scientist in the…