Remaining Gaps Between Patient and Provider Outlook on Healthcare

Consumers, administrators, primary care physicians and specialists all agree: they do not think that the healthcare system is on the right track, according to a study from Booz Allen Hamilton and Ipsos Public Affairs.

The study, “How We View Health Care in America: Consumer and Provider Perspectives” found that just one-third of consumers and administrators, while a quarter of primary care physicians and just 10% of specialists believe healthcare is moving in the right direction.

“We believe that the results from this study will provide real and immediate value to healthcare leaders wanting to better understand the quickly evolving healthcare issues and trends from both an access and delivery perspective,” Nicolas Boyon, senior vice president with Ipsos Public Affairs and director of the study, said in a statement.

The industry is less in agreement on how to control costs, although they all believe that controlling and reducing costs is essential. Specialists (68%) cite tort reform as the most promising way to control costs, while 61% of primary care physicians and 76% of administrators said prevention.

While 67% of providers are happy with their current practice, slightly less (61%) said their organization is well positioned to succeed in the changing healthcare environment.

“What we found illustrates that both common ground and major gaps exist, calling for further examination,” Grant McLaughlin, vice president at Booz Allen, said. “We’ll conduct the survey annually to stay abreast of these trends.”

The study also analyzed health app usage. While 71% of consumers own a smartphone or tablet, just 22% of them use the device to manage their healthcare or insurance. However, of the consumers who have used a mobile app to manage their health in the last 6 months, 39% said their healthcare provider recommended the app to them. Exercise apps are the most commonly use (59%) and smoking cessation apps are least likely to be used (20%).