Editor’s note: We offer this Encore Presentation about the unintended effects of health plan design as the 2019 Open Enrollment period — November 1 to December 15 — for plans under the Affordable Care Act approaches. Medicare offers open enrollment from October 15 to December 7. Attempts to control healthcare costs, to link cost to value, […]
Attempts to control healthcare costs, to link cost to value, and to expand access to insurance have all led to important changes for patients engaged in the healthcare marketplace. Those changes, which encourage patients to be “consumers” as they navigate options for care, support the impression that patients are engaged and empowered to make their […]
Earlier this month, I wrote about a friend who went through a coronary stent procedure as an engaged patient. I talked with him frequently throughout the experience, supporting his instinct to ask questions and participate in decision-making. Looking back, we see our attempts at gathering information and educating ourselves as a mixed bag. This adventure […]
Being an engaged patient is a natural extension of my work in healthcare safety and quality, so when a friend was told he might need a coronary stent, I responded by searching for information and asking questions. I was glad to be able to help and to see my friend engaged in his care. In […]