More examples of how pricing is creeping into hc encounters
Yesterday, I had two experiences related to pricing in healthcare I’d never encountered before. First, I met with a nurse practitioner as part of my regular Type II diabetes follow-up. Things are progressing to the point where I might need to consider Insulin, and so she was outlining the different types of Insulin available and how they are used. In each case, she started with giving a general price point. For example, “Now this version, which is also fairly expensive, is used in these circumstances.” After three or four of these descriptions, I was intrigued enough to stop and ask: “You keep mentioning the price – any of these would be covered by insurance, right?” “Yes,” she said, “but these days, many don’t have insurance, or they have high deductibles where they cover much of the cost, so I always want to provide that information.”
Kudos to the NP! She clearly gets it, and is being proactive in including price considerations as part of her consultation. I’ve had physicians mention price before, for sure, but usually as an afterthought, or after prompting (see my guest blog post on the HealthLeaders Media site vis-a-vis pricing and a stubborn wart). This was my first encounter (outside of MinuteClinic) where pricing was a natural part of the experience.
After a lunch of potato sandwiches and SweeTarts (just kidding), I had an appointment with a nutritionist, and I had been told previously it might not be covered by insurance. At the registration desk, the woman reminded me again of this, and asked that I sign a form stating I knew this was possible. Of course, this is as much a CYA policy as it is savvy patient communications, but what I was struck by was they had included the cost of the session on the form ($260 – yikes). Even better, the woman made a point of showing me the price and saying, in a respectful tone, “Just so you’re sure, here’s what the price would be.” Now, while standing in line in the waiting room, it would be hard for many to say, “Holy crap, are you kidding? Count me out.”. But nonetheless, she was making extra sure I had all the relevant information, even if it might cause me to reconsider or cancel. And that is what I call transparency in action.
For me, these were new experiences, and given my frequent encounters with the healthcare system, I found them enlightening given current market trends. What other examples do you have that seem to point to changes in how hospitals and health systems are dealing with price transparency? Do you find these examples encouraging, as I did, or do you feel they’re signs of trends moving in the wrong direction? And, does anyone know of a nutritionist who offers volume discounts?
Chris – It’s really good to hear examples of how health care pricing is becoming part of the patient experience. I have been somewhat of a pioneer in price transparency for health care over the past two years and it’s always encouraging to hear examples of how well this works when it’s done with the patient (consumer) in mind.
Thanks for sharing,
Mona Lori
Founder
OutofPocket.com