New Online Research Reveals Healthcare User Profiles
Research firm FIND/SVP and healthcare communications expert Michael S. Brown released a "HealthMed Retrievers" report, last month, that discusses profiles of online healthcare information surfers. Brown, president and principal consultant with a business management firm (MSB Associates-Needham, Mass.), authors the report and identifies online user segments by age group, gender, ethnicity and content interests.
The report defines a HealthMed Retriever as any U.S. adult Internet user who has accessed health and medical information within the last year.
The findings include:
- 65% of HealthMed Retrievers search healthcare information for themselves initially. (Alternative medicine and diet/nutrition top the list of favorite topics.)
- 81% prefer content from experts at major medical centers;
- 77% prefer online information from their own physician;
- The most active HealthMed Retrievers are age 50-59, they visit the largest number of healthcare Web sites than any other demo; and
- 47% of all consumer HealthMed information Web sites are owned by organizations that are generally trusted resources of high-quality information.
To order the report, call 800/346-3787.
Illinois HMO Competition Drives Down Premiums
Despite relatively high HMO premiums in Illinois, aggressive competition in the market has driven down premium revenues and HMO profits, according to a new Illinois Managed Care Review report. The report also asserts that growth in Medicare HMO plans is likely to prompt Illinois hospitals and physicians to organize into more efficient provider systems.
The report, authored by Allan Baumgarten, an independent healthcare finance and policy analyst based in Minneapolis, benchmarks Illinois against other markets on key measures of health plan and hospital performance.
Report highlights include:
- On average, HMOs collected $127.61 per commercial member (not including Medicare and Medicaid enrollees) per month, down 4.3% from 1995. Comparatively, Minnesota HMOs collected an average of $118.72 per member per month for the same time period;
- HMO profit margins in Illinois dropped 1.1% in 1996, but improved 2.1% in the first half of 1997 as premiums began to increase again; and
- Enrollment in HMO Medicare plans exceeded 130,000 in December 1997, which is only 8% of the senior market in Illinois. By contrast, Denver Medicare HMO enrollment is 30% to 40%.
Copies of the report are available for $75. For more information, call Allan Baumgarten at 612/925-9121.
Physicians Need To Punch Up Preventive Counseling
Surprisingly, doctors are the least aggressive about stressing the importance of a healthy diet, exercise and quitting smoking in reducing the risk of heart disease. According to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), few doctors discuss such preventive issues with their patients.
"Many studies have shown that physician advice is a powerful motivational tool to help patients be more compliant with new behaviors that can help reduce the risk of disease," said Dr. Philip Greenland, a spokesman for the American Heart Association.
The study highlights key areas where providers could do a better job talking to their patients about preventive health measures.
Among the findings (based on CDC's 1995 survey of 29,272 office visits):
- Only 19% of doctors talked with patients about exercise;
- 23% discussed proper diet; and
- 10% counseled patients on weight management.
The authors concluded that physician training on patient counseling needs to be implemented. (CDC, 404/639-3311; http://www.cdc.gov)