A Health Affairs study found physicians failing to talk to patients about healthcare spending may lead to higher out-of-pocket expenses, according to AJMC.
Researchers assessed physician-patient interactions for depression, breast cancer and rheumatoid arthritis as these three pricey healthcare interventions often lead to high out-of-pocket expenses.
Here are five points:
1. One missed opportunity to lower out-of-pocket expenses entailed the physician's failure to address the patient's financial concerns.
2. A second missed opportunity consisted of times when physicians made explicit efforts to address patients' financial concerns, but did not resolve them to the patients' satisfaction.
3. Often, physicians mistakenly believe "coverage" is synonymous with full coverage, which unintentionally places high out-of-pocket expenses on patients.
4. While the study does not blame physicians, researchers noted it does highlight various areas for improvement to curb out-of-pocket expenses.
5. Researchers also commented patients and providers alike should communicate with one another, and patients do not always clearly express their concerns.
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