Study Questions Whether High-Priced Providers Deliver Higher-Quality Care

Patients who received care at higher-priced physician practices rated those practices higher than their lower-priced counterparts on measures of care coordination and management, according to an AHRQ-funded article published in the May issue of Health Affairs. However, patients’ evaluations were similar on overall care and services such as mammography, vaccinations or diabetes treatment, no matter the price, the research found. Authors defined higher-priced practices as those that charged 36 percent higher than lower-priced practices—on average about $84 for an office visit for a medium-complexity patient for higher-priced practices versus about $62 for the same type of patient visit at a lower-priced practice. The authors concluded that the findings suggest a weak relationship between practices’ prices and the quality and efficiency of care they provide. This research was funded by AHRQ’s Comparative Health System Performance Initiative, which studies how health care delivery systems promote evidence-based practices and patient-centered outcomes research in delivering care. Access the abstract.