Keywords

financial incentives, patient satisfaction, patient trust, practice management

Authors

1. Keating, Nancy L. MD, MPH
2. Landrum, Mary Beth PhD
3. Landon, Bruce E. MD, MBA
4. Ayanian, John Z. MD, MPP
5. Borbas, Catherine PhD
6. Guadagnoli, Edward PhD

Abstract

Concerns have been raised about the potential for negative effects of health plans' cost containment strategies on the patient-physician relationship. We surveyed Minnesota patients with diabetes or hypertension (N = 595) and their physicians (N = 389) to assess the associations of gatekeeping, utilization profiling, and financial arrangements with patients' trust in and satisfaction with their physician. We found that patients of physicians exposed to various cost containment strategies were generally not less trusting in or less satisfied with their physicians than other patients. These results suggest that physicians may have managed potential conflicts to avoid compromising the patient-physician relationship.