Comments on: Primary care and HSAs http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/10/primary-care-and-hsas.html medical blog Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:15:05 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Deron Schriver http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/10/primary-care-and-hsas.html/comment-page-1#comment-87557 Deron Schriver Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:25:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/10/primary-care-and-hsas.html#comment-87557 The HSA with HDHP concept is a good one, but they were rolled out before other necessary steps were taken. We need cost and quality to be more transparent, reduction in unnecessary complexity in the system, and better education on the front end about how HSAs work and how the patient and provider responsibilities change as a result.<br/><br/>anonymous - I think HSAs will help with the issue of excessive testing, but I wouldn't call them the best hope. Reducing physician fear of litigation, further reducing financial incentives to order tests, and further developing a evidence-based standard of care to guide practitioners have to rank pretty high on that list. The HSA with HDHP concept is a good one, but they were rolled out before other necessary steps were taken. We need cost and quality to be more transparent, reduction in unnecessary complexity in the system, and better education on the front end about how HSAs work and how the patient and provider responsibilities change as a result.

anonymous – I think HSAs will help with the issue of excessive testing, but I wouldn’t call them the best hope. Reducing physician fear of litigation, further reducing financial incentives to order tests, and further developing a evidence-based standard of care to guide practitioners have to rank pretty high on that list.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/10/primary-care-and-hsas.html/comment-page-1#comment-87552 Anonymous Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:31:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/10/primary-care-and-hsas.html#comment-87552 HSAs, with a HDHP and funding of the deductible into the HSA by the employer, represent our best hope for reducing unnecessary testing and low value treatments by putting the patient in charge of the money. We're seeing more of these this year at our office.<br/><br/>However, many docs are uncomfortable with leaving the fantasy world where cost of tests and treatments doesn't matter. HSA patients ask harder questions of their physicians, "Doc, do I really need this test". Patients with HSAs are demanding more of their generalists physicians than just a bunch of lab slips, x-ray orders, and referrals. <br/><br/>It's good to see and something we, as a nation, need to do more. HSAs, with a HDHP and funding of the deductible into the HSA by the employer, represent our best hope for reducing unnecessary testing and low value treatments by putting the patient in charge of the money. We’re seeing more of these this year at our office.

However, many docs are uncomfortable with leaving the fantasy world where cost of tests and treatments doesn’t matter. HSA patients ask harder questions of their physicians, “Doc, do I really need this test”. Patients with HSAs are demanding more of their generalists physicians than just a bunch of lab slips, x-ray orders, and referrals.

It’s good to see and something we, as a nation, need to do more.

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