Apparently just being nice rates a bit higher than the actual delivery of high quality health care when it comes to how we look at and choose our doctors in the U.S. So says a recent survey that examines how we evaluate provider quality in this country.
The survey also pointed out that we generally lack trust in provider quality data coming from the government or third parties.
According to the survey, when respondents were asked what they think is the most important factor that makes a high-quality doctor their responses, though widely varied, mostly focused on doctor-patient relationships and personality (59 percent), rather than on the delivery of care or the patient's own health outcomes (29 percent).
Also interesting within the report, conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs, was the fact individuals reported they value provider quality over cost and are willing to pay more for higher-quality doctors, but when asked directly in the survey, few report having done so.
The report's authors explain that the survey's finding show that Americans in general do not think information about quality health care providers is easy to come by and that there is a also that aforementioned lack of trust in information sources that tend to produce such indicators.
The report states that the government is looking to rectify that situation, explaining, "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."
Another key finding in the report claims that less than a quarter of consumers are receiving provider quality information. Most people are not very confident they could find provider quality information they can trust on their own, including direct comparisons of physicians.
Roughly half of respondents added that they feel that higher-quality health care generally comes at a higher cost, while 37 percent say there is no real relationship between quality and cost.
Regarding specifics on how important the doctor/patient relationship is, respondents said good bedside manner (8 percent), various other positive personality traits (7 percent), and time spent with patients (5 percent) all rated as very important to survey participants.
