Consumerism in Health Care Health care consumerism in the United States is based on the idea of individual control over decisions affecting one's health care. This is a recent change due to consumers relying on healthcare providers to make all decisions for them. The surge in consumerism has altered the healthcare system in how it is perceived, functions and its economic standing. The health care consumer played a key role in the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010. Patients viewed as consumers reshape expectations and delivery of health care. It invokes a sense of freedom in decision making, the value of options, personal responsibility, access to education-relevant information, and the merit of quality health care. Many hope that this change will improve the quality and lower the prices of healthcare in our countries. This shift has been driven by many factors: direct-to-consumer advertising, increased accessibility to health information, societal mobility, and our nation's struggle to find better ways to operate an effective and cost-effective healthcare system. Change An article provided by Hone identified four major factors that he believes have shifted the power of health care toward consumers. First, direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of prescription drugs over the past decade has influenced and enabled consumers to ask their doctors for particular brands. Patients used to accept and trust their healthcare providers' recommendations usually without asking questions. Second, the vast increase in health information readily available and often directed at consumers to support their efforts to educate them about their health conditions and... middle of paper... and. Employee Benefits News, (21)1, 12.Huckman, R.S., Kelley, M.A. (2013). Public reporting, consumerism and patient empowerment. The New England Journal of Medicine, 369(20), 1875-1877 doi: 10.1056/NEJMp1310419Meill, A., Ericson, G. (2012). The problem of treating patients as consumers. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from http://blogs.hbr.org/2012/01/the-trouble-with-treating-pati/Shaw, G. (2012). Technology is central to the growing trend of consumerism in healthcare. Retrieved from http://www.fiercehealthit.com/story/technology-key-growing-consumerism-trend-healthcare/2012-01-12U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2010). Healthy People 2010. Retrieved from http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/overview.aspx?topicid=18Winan, R., & Kasubski, D. (2011). What is the attraction? Find out why patients come to you. PT on the move, 3(7), 16-22.
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