Evaluating Patient and Physician Cost Knowledge in the Emergency Department

Sponsor

University of Utah (Other)

Overall Status

Completed

CT.gov ID

NCT01883778

Collaborator

(none)

512

Enrollment

Location

Duration (Months)

42.7

Patients Per Site Per Month

Study Details

Study Description

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to identify existing cost knowledge of Emergency Medicine (EM) physicians and patients and investigates its reported impacts on medical compliance. A cross-sectional survey will be administered electronically to Emergency Medicine physicians at the University of Utah Hospital and the Emergency Physician Integrated Care, LLC (EPIC) who staff ten-community hospital Emergency Departments (ED) in order to investigate physician knowledge and attitudes regarding cost and perceived patient compliance. In addition, a cross-sectional survey will be administered to a convenience sample of patients presenting to the University of Utah Emergency Department to obtain information about their cost knowledge and reported compliance. All ED patients will complete a follow-up phone survey to measure compliance with recommendations made during the ED visits. Following administration of the baseline survey physicians will be provided the prices of the test and procedures and will be re-surveyed 30-days later as a post intervention test to measure changes in knowledge and attitudes.

Condition or Disease	Intervention/Treatment	Phase
Economic Problems

Study Design

Study Type:

Observational

Actual Enrollment :

512 participants

Observational Model:

Cohort

Time Perspective:

Cross-Sectional

Official Title:

Do Providers and Consumers Know the Cost of Common Tests and Procedures Delivered in the Emergency Department?

Study Start Date :

Aug 1, 2012

Actual Primary Completion Date :

Aug 1, 2013

Actual Study Completion Date :

Aug 1, 2013

Arms and Interventions

Arm	Intervention/Treatment
Emergency Department Patients
Emergency Medicine Physicians

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

Proportion of emergency medicine physician with accurate (+/- 25% of actual cost) cost knowledge of common medical services; influence on testing and prescribing patterns. [1 year]
Measure the extent of formal education regarding cost of medical services that physicians in the survey population have received and how that impacts knowledge and accuracy; perceived impact on medical compliance among patients.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Proportion of emergency department patients with accurate (+/- 25% actual costs) knowledge of medical service cost; correlation between health literacy and cost knowledge accuracy in patients. [1 year]
Measure patient health literacy using the REALM-SF (AHRQ) and determine any correlation with cost estimation accuracy and reported impact on medical compliance among patients.

Other Outcome Measures

Efficacy of intervention to improving accuracy in cost estimation in emergency physicians. [1 year]
Changes in self-reported cost knowledge competency and cost estimation accuracy using the intervention comparing the baseline report at time of enrollment to 30 days post intervention.