Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News

      Report: Health Insurance Companies to Use IT to Influence Doctors, Patients

      By
      M.L. Baker
      -
      March 21, 2006
      Share
      Facebook
      Twitter
      Linkedin

        A new report released by First Consulting Group predicts that health insurers are using health IT to expand their influence over doctors and patients.

        Increasingly, health plans will use the Internet to reach out to patients directly with tips for staying healthy and keeping costs down.

        Additionally, health plans help health care providers acquire technology and use information collected by that technology to steer patients toward particular doctors.

        The FCG report “Health Plan Predictions” finds that data collected as part of programs to pay physicians for better care will be used to “aggressively steer members [for example, patients] to high-quality, low-cost providers.”

        /zimages/1/28571.gifTo read more about pay-for-performance, click here.

        As evidence, the report describes Aetnas Aexcel network, which consists of analytic software and a database system “to evaluate providers relative costs compared to other doctors providing similar services.”

        Under the program, which covers about 300,000 patients in 10 states, doctors in specialties including cardiology, obstetrics, and orthopedics, are Aexcel-designated.

        Different employer plans can provide an array of financial incentives to encourage patients to use these doctors.

        Other health plans, including Blue Shield of California, Cigna, Premera and Massachusetts-based Tufts Health Plan, also offer so-called “tiered systems”, says the report, though it does not describe how technology is used to select health care providers.

        As employers force more health costs on to patients, online tools to tell patients the cost of services provided are also becoming more abundant, says the report. Similarly, health plans and consumer groups are pushing to put information online about the quality and performance of doctors and hospitals.

        However, the American Medical Association has said that such disclosures could be harmful and misleading because measuring quality is not clear cut and can be influenced by factors outside a physicians control.

        /zimages/1/28571.gifClick here to read more about the National Healthcare Quality Report.

        In addition to encouraging patients to use the Internet, health plans will also encourage health care providers to use information technology.

        In particular, community physicians can expect health plans to invest more in electronic prescribing programs.

        For example, Highmark plans to spend $26.5 million to cover as much as three-quarters of physicians costs for hardware, software, and connectivity.

        Several e-prescribing plans give physicians financial incentives to exchange a paper prescription pad for one electronically connected to pharmacies.

        /zimages/1/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms for the latest news, views and analysis of technologys impact on health care.

        M.L. Baker
        Monya Baker is co-editor of CIOInsight.com's Health Care Center. She has written for publications including the journal Nature Biotechnology, the Acumen Journal of Sciences and the American Medical Writers Association, among others, and has worked as a consultant with biotechnology companies. A former high school science teacher, Baker holds a bachelor's degree in biology from Carleton College and a master's of education from Harvard.

        MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

        Big Data and Analytics

        Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

        James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
        I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
        Read more
        Cybersecurity

        Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

        James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
        I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
        Read more
        Cloud

        IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

        James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
        I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
        Read more
        Applications

        Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

        James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
        I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
        Read more
        Cloud

        Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

        James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
        Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
        Read more
        Logo

        eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

        Facebook
        Linkedin
        RSS
        Twitter
        Youtube

        Advertisers

        Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

        Advertise with Us

        Menu

        • About eWeek
        • Subscribe to our Newsletter
        • Latest News

        Our Brands

        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms
        • About
        • Contact
        • Advertise
        • Sitemap
        • California – Do Not Sell My Information

        Property of TechnologyAdvice.
        © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

        Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

        ×