Study: Few Execs Praise Health Care Data

By THERESA AGOVINO

NEW YORK – Only about one-quarter of executives believe they are doing a good job of providing employees with health care quality data that is easy to access, understand and implement, according to a study released Monday.

Such data are a cornerstone of consumer driven health plans, which many companies are adopting in an effort to lower spiraling costs. The plans are designed to make consumers more financially responsible for their health care choices, so employers said they would help their employees choose wisely by offering data on doctor and hospital quality.

But only 24 percent of top executives at 135 large U.S.-based multinational companies thought their information was good, according to a study released by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Forty-seven percent called the information mixed while 10 percent said it wasn’t good.

The study also showed that companies aren’t asking employees whether they find the information useful, with only 36 percent measuring satisfaction.

Another popular way to lower health care costs is to provide programs and incentives that help employees improve their overall health.

Programs range from helping patients with chronic disease such as diabetes manage their conditions to offering discounted gym memberships or healthy food in the cafeteria. Yet only 19 percent of executives think their programs in this area are strong or above average. Slightly more than half deemed their programs moderate or average.

However, the survey suggests that executives want to offer good programs. Two-thirds of executives believe a health plan’s design has a link to employees’ health status, and 76 percent see a connections between the employees health status and their productivity.