Thread by @HSR_HRET

Shih-Chuan Chou and colleagues examine the association between #highdeductible health plans and #EDvisits with low-value imaging in this #HSR @Wiley_Health study. Thread below: (1/7) hsr.org/node/678800

WHAT WE KNOW: Health insurers increasingly offer high-deductible insurance products in hopes of improving care value by giving patients “skin in the game.” (2/7)

Past studies showed that high deductibles reduce outpatient medical visits or tests, which are primarily under patient control, such as attending appointments, cancer screening, or ED visits. (3/7)

But less is known about the impact of high deductibles on care decisions during a visit where clinicians and patients both participate in decision making, particularly around expensive tests that often provide little benefit #lowvalueimaging (4/7)

WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS: Authors found that switching from low-deductible to high-deductible plans didn't lower the likelihood of low-value imaging use during an ED visit. (5/7)

However, switching to high-deductible plans did REDUCE the number of ED visits with low-value imaging because of an overall decrease in ED visits for these conditions. (6/7)

1. Increasing patient #financialrisks have a minimal influence on the decision making during ED visits
2. Future studies could test interventions that may promote cost-conscious #decisionmaking among clinicians (7/7)

Full access: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.11…