Four Major Concerns Patients Have About Their Physicians

HealthDay News — Health care consumers have 4 major concerns regarding their physicians, according to a report published by Managed Healthcare Executive.

The Physicians Foundation commissioned a survey of health care consumers to examine attitudes on the physician-patient relationship, the cost of health care, social determinants, and lifestyle issues. A total of 1747 US respondents aged 27 to 75 years who had seen the same doctor at least twice in the previous 12 months were surveyed.

The researchers found that although 95% of patients are satisfied with their primary care physicians they expressed concerns. Only 11% of patients reported having all the time they needed with their physician. Sixty-nine percent of consumers believed that insurance companies have the greatest influence on treatment options.

Patients reported being wary that technology could detract from patient care; 57% of patients reported that physicians rely more on what their computer says and less on what the patient says, while 77% wanted their physician to listen more.

Eighty-nine percent of health care consumers reported being fearful that the increasing cost of health care will have an adverse impact; in particular, concerns relating to drug costs are increasing.

“Cost has the potential to interfere with the physician-patient relationship because consumers feel they’re unable to comply with all the prescribed treatment methods,” Walker Ray, MD, president of the Physicians Foundation, said in a statement.

Reference

Walker T. Consumers’ top 4 concerns about their physicians [news release]. ModernMedicine Network. Updated October 21, 2017. Accessed February 13, 2017.