Patient Financial Responsibility

Doc bills for patient portal messages are a rare occurrence

April 11, 2024 - Patient portal messages represent just a drop in the bucket of overall evaluation and management (E&M) services, according to new Michigan Medicine data, findings that may help temper industry anxieties about the increased workload these messages can cause. Indeed, during the height of the pandemic, patient portal messages represented just...

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How GoodRx Brings Low Drug Costs in Vexing Healthcare Landscape

by Sara Heath

The cost of healthcare is getting to be a nearly insurmountable problem for patients, leaving the healthcare consumer with a pretty hefty homework assignment if they want to get the best buy for their services and medications. At GoodRx,...

Exploring Healthcare Price Transparency for the Consumer Experience

by Sara Heath

Shop in any store or for any service, and you will be able to look at the price tag or at least request a quote, but in healthcare, that level of price transparency is unheard of. Rather, patients go into most healthcare encounters not...

Healthcare Affordability Woes Affect High- and Low-Income Patients Alike

by Sara Heath

It’s long been understood that healthcare in the United States is unaffordable for the nation’s poorest patients, but a new analysis from the Commonwealth Fund shows that healthcare...

Breaking Down the Basics of Healthcare Consumerism

by Sara Heath

Healthcare consumerism lingers near the top of the list of buzzwords medical professionals need to know. The concept, which recognizes the role patients play as purchasers and managers of their own...

High Healthcare Costs Bar Care Access Despite Insurance Status

by Sara Heath

Having health insurance coverage isn’t enough to attenuate high healthcare costs and their impacts on patient access to care, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report. Anywhere from 43 to 57...

Out-of-Pocket Healthcare Costs Double with Dementia Diagnosis

by Sara Heath

A dementia diagnosis is going to cost you, with new data from the University of Michigan showing that individual personal wealth dropped after a diagnosis while out-of-pocket healthcare costs nearly...

Consumers Feel the Pinch of Medical Debt, Skip Healthcare Access

by Sara Heath

The problem of medical debt is getting worse, with new Debt.com data showing that inflation and rising medical costs are putting patients in a sticky financial situation and leaving about a third...

Over A Quarter of Americans Say High Costs Bar Patient Care Access

by Sara Heath

A new report from the Federal Reserve paints a devastating picture of how healthcare costs impact patient care access. In 2022, 28 percent of adults went without some kind of medical care because of...

Does Cost-Sharing for Screening Result in Missed Cancer Diagnoses?

by Sara Heath

Patients who face cost-sharing and high out-of-pocket healthcare costs for breast cancer screening might not access any applicable follow-up tests they need, according to research published in JAMA...

Challenging Patient Financial Responsibility Uncommon, But Fruitful

by Sara Heath

Most patients don’t challenge their medical bills, but new survey data from YouGov conducted on behalf of AKASA shows that negotiating patient financial responsibility could be a fruitful...

Bad Economy Adds to Longstanding Cost, Medication Adherence Problems

by Sara Heath

The economic downturn is hitting healthcare hard, with new reports showing that medication adherence is taking a hit while consumers find themselves strapped for cash. In a recent survey of over 1,000...

Medication Adherence Rates Sink, Renew Calls for Cost and Policy Change

by Sara Heath

Medication adherence remains a problem for chronic disease management, with new data in JAMA Network Open showing that around one in five adults with diabetes did not maintain use of glucose-lowering...

45% of Women Forego Preventive Care Access, Care Costs a Key Barrier

by Sara Heath

High healthcare costs are keeping nearly half of American women from preventive care access, according to a new Ipsos poll fielded on behalf of the Alliance for Women’s Health and Prevention...

Patient Access to Mental Healthcare Lower Among Women than Men

by Sara Heath

Patient access to mental healthcare is poorer among women, with high costs and limited provider availability stymying the process, according to new figures from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Mental...

Patient Financial Responsibility Dissuades ED Care Access

by Sara Heath

The specter of a big bill and high patient financial responsibility is getting in the way of emergency department (ED) care access some individuals might actually need, according to data published in...

Inflation Spurs Healthcare Affordability, Patient Care Access Woes

by Sara Heath

The nation’s problems with inflation are spilling over into the medical sector, with people reporting that higher prices are causing healthcare affordability and patient care access challenges,...

Patients of Color Feel Impact of Inflation, Patient Care Access Problems

by Sara Heath

Inflation is creating healthcare affordability problems, with more people of color than White folks saying the rising cost of healthcare is limiting patient care access, according to recent polling...

High Out-of-Pocket Healthcare Costs Dissuade Patient Care Access

by Sarai Rodriguez

For many Houston adults, high out-of-pocket healthcare costs have deterred them from accessing care, according to new survey data collected by Sesame via Pollfish. The nation's fourth-largest city...

Three-Quarters of Patients Note Patient Experience Pros and Cons

by Sara Heath

Doctor’s offices have about four chances to meet patient experience expectations before a healthcare consumer picks a new provider to visit, with around three-quarters of patients mentally...