Todd Shryock

Patients want to hear from their doctors, but there are so many scam callers posing as health care providers that they won’t answer unless the phone number is identified, according to a new 

 users about their communication preferences with their health care providers.

 callers has led to increased customer financial loss, decreased trust in phone calls, and increased frustration from patients who view unknown phone calls as a negative characteristic. In fact, 80% of those surveyed said they would consider rating a health care provider poorly for making unidentified calls, while 93% say they want to hear from their doctor, especially regarding urgent matters, and 94% said they were more likely to answer a call from a provider if the number was clearly identified.

Although there are other ways to communicate with patients, such as online portals, most respondents prefer to get a phone call from a medical center or health care professional. More than nine in 10 people say they want a call from their doctor, pharmacy, or other provider. Only 7% of respondents said they didn’t want a call from their provider for any reason.

The top five reasons patients want a phone call from their doctor, as identified in the survey:

Many calls from doctor offices go unanswered or straight to voicemail, meaning important information isn’t being conveyed to the patient. But if people say they prefer phone calls, why aren’t they answering?

According to the survey, the simple answer is they don’t know who is calling. More than three in four people (76%) say that they’ve ignored or declined a call from a health care provider because they didn’t know it was them calling. A similar percentage (74%) believe they’ve received a health care-related scam call, and more than half (52%) say they’ve received more scam calls this year compared to a year ago. This is a major factor in why people won’t answer calls they don’t recognize.

This article was published by our sister publication Medical Economics.

Articles

Survey shows that patients are dealing with so many phone scams that they miss calls from their doctors because the number isn’t identified.

Your patients aren’t taking your calls because they don’t know who’s calling

In 2020, health care spending accounted for 19.7% of the nation’s gross domestic product, up from 5% in 1960, according to a 

. A total of $4.1 trillion was spent on health care in 2020, or $12,530 per person. In 2030, health care spending is projected to account for 19.6% of GDP, a total of $6.8 trillion.

A large percentage (31.2%) of total health care 

 in 2020 was on health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs for employers and individuals. According to the report, employers paid $521.3 billion toward premiums, while workers paid $366 billion. Another $388.6 billion was spent on out-of-pocket costs.

The remaining 68.8% of health care spending breaks down as follows: 

 20.1%, Medicaid 16.3%, other health insurance programs 3.8%, other third-party payers and programs 17.8%, investment 4.7%, government contributions and subsidies 6.4%.

EBRI says that larger employers are much more likely than smaller employers to offer health benefits to workers. Nearly all private-sector employers with 1,000 or more employees offered health benefits in 2021. Similarly, 97.5% of those with 100–999 employees did so as well. Those with lower headcounts were less likely to offer health benefits: 77.9% of employers with 25–99 employees, 52.4% of employers with 10–24 employees, and 24.6% of employers with fewer than 10 employees offered health benefits.

According to the report, the share of adults and children with employment-sponsored health insurance fell since 2019. Overall, 70.8% of workers had employment-based health benefits in 2020 either through their own job or through a family member’s job. Only 36.6% of non-working adults had employment-based health benefits. Over one-half (53.9%) of children were covered by employment-based health benefits.

Premiums for health insurance have continued to trend upward since at least 1996. In 2021, average annual premiums for employee-only coverage were $7,380. They were $21,381 for family coverage. Despite rising premiums, for the last decade, the percentage of total health insurance premiums paid by workers has been relatively flat. On average, workers paid 22.3% of the premium for employee-only coverage and 28.9% of the premium for family coverage in 2021, according to EBRI data.

The report reveals that almost everyone is paying for health coverage. In 2021, only 7.3% of workers were not required to contribute to employee-only coverage, and only 12.6% were not required to contribute to family coverage. In contrast, in 1996, 37.1% of workers were not required to contribute to employee-only coverage, and 19.3% were not required to contribute to family coverage.

The types of plans vary, but Preferred provider organizations are the most common type of health plan, covering 46% of workers in 2021. High-deductible health plans covered 28% of workers, health maintenance organizations covered 16%, and point-of-service plans covered 9%.

Another trend the report studied was how the percentage of private-sector employees enrolled in a health insurance plan with a deductible has been steadily rising over time. While only 47.6% of employees had a deductible in 2002, 88.5% did in 2021. Among individuals with a deductible, the average deductible increased from $446 to $2,004 from 2002 to 2021 among those with employee-only coverage. And it increased from $958 to $3,868 among those with family coverage. The average copayment for an office visit has remained constant at $27 from 2016–2021. Coinsurance rates for office visits increased modestly, from 20% in 2019 to 20.8% in 2021.

This article originally appeared on Medical Economics®. 

Almost a third of spending is on insurance premiums and out-of-pocket payments.

Health care spending continues decades long rise

/Gallup poll found that nearly four in 10 Americans in the last six months have delayed or skipped health care treatments, trim regular household expenses, or borrow money, because of rising health care costs. Extrapolated across the entire population, that means 98 million adults are having to figure out how to afford health care.

While half of adults in households earning less than $48,000 per year report cutting spending, the effects also extend to more influential households. For those earning at least $180,000, 19% said they have pared back spending to pay for health care.

 under 50 are disproportionately being compelled to cut back on health care with 36% reporting they have done so, compared to 22% of men. having done so, compared with 22% of men.

Overall, 26% of adults report delaying or avoiding medical care or purchasing prescription drugs in the prior six months due to higher health care prices. This rises to 43% among adults in lower-income households (those making less than $24,000 annually).

For those cutting costs, health care is usually on the chopping block with other expensed. The report found:

Of those who cut back on utilities, 59% also cut back on medical care and medicine.

Of those who skipped a meal, 71% also cut back on medical care and medicine.

Of those who borrowed money, 60% also cut back on medical care and medicine.

Of those who drove less, 55% also cut back on medical care and medicine.

The effect of inflation exacerbates an already significant issue for millions of Americans struggling to pay for health care and medicine. Prior findings from the 2021 West Health-Gallup Healthcare Study showed that an estimated 18% of adults, or about 46 million people, 

could not afford needed care if they required it today

unable to pay for prescribed drugs in the prior three months

Health care inflation, which stood at 4.5% in June, is lagging overall 

, which spiked to 9.1% in June, a new 40-year high primarily because of rising prices for gas, food and rent. According to the report, inflation has not yet fully hit health care prices due to prenegotiated contracts with insurers and providers for 2022, but inflation is likely to impact prices later in the year -- something that consumers may not fully appreciate given the mere 3% that cite health care as the service expected to rise in price the most in the next six months.

Patients are either skipping care completely, cutting costs elsewhere, or borrowing money to pay for health care.

Nearly 4 in 10 Americans say inflation affecting their health care

 revealed that the majority of doctors have seen their malpractice premiums increase since 2020, and some of those increases have been dramatic.

The majority (62%) said their rates had increased, while 5% said they decreased, and 33% said they stayed the same.

While the average increase was 14.3%, some physicians saw much higher rates.

In January of 2020, an MGMA poll found that 41% had seen rising 

 premiums, compared to a 2013-2018 when costs dropped 21.5%

According to the American Medical Association, 12 states’ premiums increased 10% or more over the previous year. The top five were:


All told, nearly half (24) of all states’ premiums increased in 2020 and 2021.

During the past two to three years, premiums for some specialists, such as OB/GYN, have more than doubled, causing some physicians to question whether they can continue to practice in the state they reside.

According to the MGMA, even though claims and payouts have dropped, severity — in the form of high-dollar verdicts and settlements — is on the rise. Moreover, while these 

 were once concentrated in certain parts of the country, they are now becoming more widespread. Add to this a backlog of cases delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the anticipation of additional claims as care volumes increase amid COVID-19 cases dropping, and physicians are forced to pay higher premiums.

This article originally appeared on Medical Economics®.

Survey from MGMA shows majority of doctors saw an increase since 2020.

Malpractice rates on the rise

The lack of money is an obvious reason why patients incur health care debt, but in many cases, they don’t pay because they either think their insurance will eventually pay it or that that bill is inaccurate, according to a 

For patients who have health care debt, 67% said that in the past five years, they have not fully paid a medical bill because they lacked the money to pay it. Almost the same percentage (68%) said they haven’t paid a bill because they were expecting their insurance company to pick up the tab, and 44% said they didn’t pay a bill because they didn’t think it was accurate.

 overall is a challenge for the industry. The survey found that 41% of adults currently have some debt caused by medical or dental bills. Almost a quarter (24%) said they have bills that are past due or unable to pay, 21% are paying bills from a provider over time, one in six say they took out a loan (17%) or used a credit card to pay bills (17%), or borrowed money from friends or family members (10%). Overall, in the last five years, 57% have experienced owing money due to medical or dental bills at some point.

The lower the level of education, the more likely the patient is to say they have current health care debt from medical bills. For those without a college degree, 47% say they have health care debt compared to 31% of college graduates. While those households with less than $40,000 of income say they have medical debt (57%), households earning $90,000 or more also report debt (26%). Higher income households typically have more bank loans or credit card debt, while lower income households report more debts to friends or family.

 due to medical bills, compared to about a third of men (48% vs. 34%). Black patients (56%) and Hispanic (50%) adults say they have debt due to medical or dental bills, compared to 37% of White adults. Being insured is no guarantee of avoiding debt. More than four in ten adults with health insurance report current debt.

According to the survey, by age, health care debt peaks among those between the ages of 30 and 49, with 52% in this age group saying they have current health care debt. This is likely related to the fact that about half of people in this age group are parents of children under 18, and parents are significantly more likely than non-parents to report having health care debt from their own or someone else’s medical or dental bills (58% vs. 35%). Over one in five adults ages 65 and over (22%) say they currently owe money due to medical or dental bills. Medicare provides near universal coverage to seniors, but it has gaps that can leave beneficiaries with substantial out-of-pocket costs.

The report notes that health care debt does not have to be enormous for people to have problems paying it off, though some do report owing large amounts. For 56% of respondents, they say they owe less than $2,500, including 16% who say they owe less than $500 and 18% who owe between $500 and $1,000. Nearly half (44%) report owing at least $2,500 due to medical or dental bills, including about one in eight (12%) who say they owe $10,000 or more.

Most (59%) adults with current health care debt think they will be able to pay off their debt within two years, including a third who think they will pay it off within a year. However, nearly one in five (18%) say they don’t think they will ever pay it off. Notably, about one in four Black adults (24%), adults with household incomes under $40,000 (26%), and those who are uninsured (25%) say they don’t think they will ever pay off their health care debt.

The results illustrate how one medical incident can lead to persistent debt, with 72% saying the source of their medical debt was a one-time or short-term medical expense, such as a single hospital visit or treatment for an accident. About a quarter of adults (27%) say their medical debt built up over time, such as treatment for a chronic illness.

Common health care needs such as lab and diagnostic test and doctor’s visits are also common sources of health care debt. Among adults with health care debt, about six in ten (59%) say some of the bills that led to their debt were due to lab fees or diagnostic tests and over half (56%) say bills from doctor visits contributed to their debt. Half of adults with health care debt say bills from emergency care (50%) caused their debt, again highlighting how one-time acute medical events can cause people to fall into health care debt, according to the survey.


This article originally appeared on Medical Economics®. 

Some patients report not paying because they either think their insurance will pay it or they think the bill is inaccurate.

 Patients accrue medical debt from lack of money, understanding

In reaction to doctors and other medical professionals spreading misinformation and lies during the COVID-19 pandemic, the 

 has adopted a policy aimed at both countering misinformation while also holding those responsible accountable to their professional boards.

False claims made by health professionals can be directly linked to topics such as the promotion of unproven 

treatments, inaccurate claims of vaccine side effects, and public health guidance that is not evidence-based. The root of the problem is associated with a dozen individuals who accounted for almost two-thirds of 

Because these individuals can profit from the disinformation, the AMA said there is a need to address both the person’s ability to find an audience to deceive and their ability to benefit financially from that audience.

“Physicians are a trusted source of information for patients and the public alike, but the spread of disinformation by a few has implications for the entire profession and causes harm,” said AMA President Gerald E. Harmon, M.D., in a statement. “Physicians have an ethical and professional responsibility to share truthful information, correct misleading and inaccurate information, and direct people to reliable sources of health information. The AMA is committed to confronting disinformation, and we need to address the root of the problem. We must ensure that health professionals spreading disinformation aren’t able to use far-reaching platforms, often benefitting them financially, to disseminate dangerous health claims. While we are unlikely to undo the harms caused by disinformation campaigns during the COVID-19 pandemic, we can act now to help prevent the spread of disinformation in the future.”

The new policy calls for the AMA to work with health professional societies and other relevant organizations to implement a comprehensive strategy that includes the following priorities:

Maintain AMA as a trusted source of evidence-based information for physicians and patients,

Ensure evidence-based medical and public health information is accessible by engaging with publishers, research institutions and media organizations to develop best practices around paywalls and preprints to improve access to evidence-based information and analysis,

Address disinformation disseminated by health professionals via social media platforms and address the monetization of spreading disinformation on social media platforms,

Educate health professionals and the public on how to recognize disinformation as well as how it spreads,

Consider the role of health professional societies in serving as appropriate fact-checking entities for health-related information disseminated by various media platforms,

Encourage continuing education to be available for health professionals who serve as fact-checker to help prevent the dissemination of health-related disinformation,

Ensure licensing boards have the authority to take disciplinary action against health professionals for spreading health-related disinformation and affirms that all speech in which a health professional is utilizing their credentials is professional conduct and can be scrutinized by their licensing entity,

Ensure specialty boards have the authority to take action against board certification for health professionals spreading health-related disinformation, and

Encourage state and local medical societies to engage in dispelling disinformation in their jurisdictions.

The report notes that social media platforms have amplified the ability for misinformation to spread. It concludes that combating disinformation spread by health professionals, particularly over 

, will require a three-pronged approach: deprioritizing disinformation in social media algorithms, affirming and empowering the role of reactive fact-checking, and addressing any underlying incentive structure for health professionals spreading health-related disinformation.

Originally published on our sister brand, 

AMA has adopted a multi-prong strategy to try to counter lies while holding the person responsible to professional review.

Todd Shryock

Articles

Your patients aren’t taking your calls because they don’t know who’s calling

Health care spending continues decades long rise

Nearly 4 in 10 Americans say inflation affecting their health care

Malpractice rates on the rise

Patients accrue medical debt from lack of money, understanding

AMA looks to fight back against health professionals spreading misinformation