One Medical is facing new scrutiny for allegedly providing questionable talking points for its employees to use in response to anyone with concerns about previous reports that its call center had not appropriately escalated a number of urgent patient calls that should have received immediate medical attention. Instead, the patients were scheduled for office visits. As reported by the Washington Post, One Medical instructed staff to tell those who expressed concern over the controversy that …
Read MoreHigh Cost of Care Elsewhere May Be Nudging ACA Patients to Urgent Care
Patients whose health is insured under marketplaces created via the Affordable Care Act (ACA, aka “Obamacare”) have become acutely cost conscious when it comes to their own care—to the extent that they may not be getting the care they need, according to a new survey. While that paints a picture of a dysfunctional system, urgent care may be reaping some rewards as patients seek out quality care that won’t cost them as much as a …
Read MorePatients Don’t Associate Higher Cost with Better Care
Apparently, patients don’t see a need to pay Cadillac prices for the “Cadillac” of healthcare services (wherever they may exist). Most participants in a new report published in Health Affairs don’t associate higher cost with higher quality when it comes to making healthcare decisions—a departure from the expected consumer mindset when it comes to buying other goods and services. Among the questions included in the survey: “Would you say higher prices are typically a sign …
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