An example of an initiative that may reduce total healthcare costs wou

QUESTION

An example of an initiative that may reduce total healthcare costs would be:

a. Offering nurse practitioner–led clinics that educate parents about nonpharmacologic strategies for managing ear infections.
b. Educating seniors about the comparative costs of medications that are prescribed to them.
c. Lowering copayments for prescription drugs for seniors.
d. Advocating for more readily available MRI services to ensure early diagnosis.

ANSWER:

ANS: A
Total healthcare costs are a function of prices that are established for various services and the volume or quantity of services used. Utilization of high-tech diagnostic services and lowering of copayments have been implicated in increasing total healthcare costs (thus C and D would not be correct), as well as attitudes and behaviors of consumers of health care. In general, consumers prefer to “be fixed” when something goes wrong rather than to practice prevention. Many consumers still believe that the physician knows best, so they do not seek much information related to costs and effectiveness of different healthcare options. When information is sought, it is not readily available or understandable. Also, consumers are not accustomed to using other, less costly healthcare providers, such as nurse practitioners.