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Patient preferences for provider choice: a discrete choice experiment
Eline M van den Broek-Altenburg1, Adam J Atherly
1Department of Radiology, The Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, 89 Beaumont Ave, Burlington, VT 05405.
The American Journal of Managed Care
|July 17, 2020
Summary
Patients prioritize having their personal doctor in their health insurance network, even over lower premiums. This finding is crucial for understanding patient preferences in provider network selection.
Area of Science:
- Health economics
- Health services research
- Consumer behavior in healthcare
Background:
- Health insurance plan choice is influenced by provider network characteristics.
- Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges feature popular restricted network plans due to premium differences.
- Understanding patient preferences beyond premiums is vital for network adequacy discussions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess patient preferences for various provider network attributes when selecting health insurance.
- To quantify the importance of factors like personal doctor coverage, wait times, and network breadth.
Main Methods:
- A discrete choice experiment was employed to analyze patient preferences.
- Mixed multinomial logit models were used to estimate utilities and willingness to pay.
- Hypothetical health insurance plan options were presented to survey respondents.
Main Results:
- Coverage of a personal doctor was the most valued attribute.
- Patients were willing to pay $95/month or wait 6 days for personal doctor coverage.
- Network breadth, wait times, and travel time were also significant factors.
Conclusions:
- Patient preferences extend beyond premium costs to include specific provider network features.
- Findings offer insights for policymakers on network adequacy standards and patient decision support.
- Personal doctor inclusion significantly impacts patient choice in health insurance plans.