The industry is falling short of providing consumers with an effective gauge to assess healthcare quality, says the October issue of Consumer Reports (CR), indicating communicators need to better define quality.
In its investigative study, the magazine gets to the heart of consumer confusion and frustration with the industry's "quality" claims. It found that consumers selecting medical care - either from an HMO or a fee-for-service provider - often confuse "report cards" that measure patient satisfaction with being the best quality indicators.
The report identifies three areas of where quality messages should be improved - underuse, overuse and misuse of medical services. (CR, Amy Wolfcale, 914/378-2437)