Physicians put patients’ best interests above cost concerns, new study finds

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Even as doctors in the United States are constantly concerned with the tradeoffs between cost and quality, they consistently prioritize the best interests of their patients over cost concerns, according to a study led by Mayo Clinic.

The highlights of the study include findings such as:

• Most doctors assign the major responsibility of curbing escalating cost to lawyers, insurance companies, the pharmaceutical industry, and device manufacturers;

• 76 percent of physicians are reportedly aware of the costs of treatments and tests they provide;

• 85 percent of the doctors surveyed feel believe that “trying to contain costs is the responsibility of every physician.”

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Most physicians feel the need to make healthcare leaner through cost-cutting strategies, but many of them are not eager to participate in cost-reducing measures that involve changes in the payment models. The healthcare system is phasing out the fee for service payment model which depends on the quantity, rather than quality of care, and is pushing for the pay for performance system, also known as value-based purchasing that rewards healthcare providers for complying with performance standards of quality and efficiency.

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The doctors’ varying degrees of enthusiasm over cost-cutting initiatives are affected by practice settings and compensation structures, says Jon Tilburt, M.D., Mayo Clinic’s Biomedical Ethics Program and Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery. Dr. Tilburt stresses that the study provokes a reconsideration of cost-containment strategies such that future innovations should focus not only on slashing costs but also on “preserving physicians’ commitment to individual patients.”

It’s the primary goal of physicians like Dr. Melanie Novak to increase patients’ quality of life through individualized treatment plans that are suited to healthcare needs. Visit this Twitter page to get insights on how doctors align healthcare incentives with positive patient outcomes.