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Kamath CC, Espinoza Suarez NR, Vallejo S, Montori VM, Brito JP, Boehmer KR. Not all cost conversations are the same: An exploration of potential value in cost conversations during Atrial fibrillation treatment decision making. PATIENT EDUCATION AND COUNSELING 2024; 128:108366. [PMID: 39032442 DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2024.108366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2024] [Revised: 06/26/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To explore the cost conversations taking place when patients with atrial fibrillation and their clinicians decide on whether and how to use anticoagulation to prevent strokes. METHODS Secondary qualitative thematic analysis of conversations from 476 clinical encounters in three sites of a multicenter randomized trial comparing usual care with and without a shared decision-making tool. RESULTS We identified three themes with subthemes: (1) What was discussed: conversation content (2) How content was transmitted: communication patterns and (3) Implicit conversation drivers. Due to each patient's unique circumstances, bi-directional conversations focused on relationship- and solution-based content enabled better cost burden discovery. Conversation drivers included affordability, comorbidities, preferences, and uncertainty about future costs. CONCLUSIONS Cost conversations were often initiated by clinicians, and if they did not invite a response, patients passively received information without understanding or weighing cost burden. When clinicians discussed cost information using relational or solution-focused content and bi-directional communication patients were more likely to engage in discussion including their unique situation. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS Solution-focused cost conversations can reduce financial treatment burden, but require estimates of out-of-pocket costs, insurance coverage, and long-term financial effects of various options. Conversation tools and information on financial resources are valuable to patients and clinicians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Celia C Kamath
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; Knowledge and Evaluation Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Nataly R Espinoza Suarez
- Knowledge and Evaluation Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; VITAM - Center for Sustainable Health Research, Integrated University Health and Social Services Center of Capitale-Nationale, Quebec City, QC, Canada; Faculty of Nursing, Laval University, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | | | - Victor M Montori
- Knowledge and Evaluation Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Juan P Brito
- Knowledge and Evaluation Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Kasey R Boehmer
- Knowledge and Evaluation Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; Division of Health Care Delivery Research, Mayo Clinic Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery, Rochester, MN, USA.
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Garcia-Bautista A, Kamath C, Ayala N, Behnken E, Giblon RE, Gravholt D, Hernández-Leal MJ, Hidalgo J, Leon Garcia M, Golembiewski EH, Maraboto A, Sivly A, Brito JP. Financial Toxicity in the Clinical Encounter: A Paired Survey of Patient and Clinician Perceptions. Mayo Clin Proc Innov Qual Outcomes 2023; 7:248-255. [PMID: 37359420 PMCID: PMC10285501 DOI: 10.1016/j.mayocpiqo.2023.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective To compare the agreement between patient and clinician perceptions of care-related financial issues. Patients and Methods We surveyed patient-clinician dyads immediately after an outpatient medical encounter between September 2019 and May 2021. They were asked to separately rate (1-10) patient's level of difficulty in paying medical bills and the importance of discussing cost issues with that patient during clinical encounters. We calculated agreement between patient-clinician ratings using the intraclass correlation coefficient and used random effects regression models to identify patient predictors of paired score differences in difficulty and importance of ratings. Results 58 pairs of patients (n=58) and clinicians (n=40) completed the survey. Patient-clinician agreement was poor for both measures, but higher for difficulty in paying medical bills (intraclass correlation coefficient=0.375; 95% CI, 0.13-0.57) than for the importance of discussing cost (-0.051; 95% CI, -0.31 to 0.21). Agreement on difficulty in paying medical bills was not lower in encounters with conversations about the cost of care. In adjusted models, poor patient-clinician agreement on difficulty in paying medical bills was associated with lower patient socioeconomic status and education level, whereas poor agreement on patient-perceived importance of discussing cost was significant for patients who were White, married, reported 1 or more long-term conditions, and had higher education and income levels. Conclusion Even in encounters where cost conversations occurred, there was poor patient-clinician agreement on ratings of the patient's difficulty in paying medical bills and perceived importance of discussing cost issues. Clinicians need more training and support in detecting the level of financial burden and tailoring cost conversations to the needs of individual patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Garcia-Bautista
- Department of Medicine, Knowledge and Evaluation Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
| | - Celia Kamath
- Robert D and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
| | - Nicolas Ayala
- Department of Medicine, Knowledge and Evaluation Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
| | - Emma Behnken
- Department of Medicine, Knowledge and Evaluation Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
| | - Rachel E Giblon
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Derek Gravholt
- Department of Medicine, Knowledge and Evaluation Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
| | - María José Hernández-Leal
- Department of Community, Maternity and Pediatric Nursing, School of Nursing, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
- Medical Sciences, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile
- Millenium Nucleus of Sociomedicine (Sociomed), Santiago, Chile
| | - Jessica Hidalgo
- Department of Medicine, Knowledge and Evaluation Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
| | - Montserrat Leon Garcia
- Department of Medicine, Knowledge and Evaluation Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
- Iberoamerican Cocharane Center, Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Andrea Maraboto
- Department of Medicine, Knowledge and Evaluation Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
| | - Angela Sivly
- Department of Medicine, Knowledge and Evaluation Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
| | - Juan P Brito
- Department of Medicine, Knowledge and Evaluation Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
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Communication of costs and financial burdens between cancer patients and healthcare providers: a qualitative systematic review and meta-synthesis. Support Care Cancer 2023; 31:192. [PMID: 36847898 DOI: 10.1007/s00520-023-07647-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to synthesize qualitative research regarding communication of costs and financial burdens between patients and healthcare providers to provide evidence for the subsequent development of intervention programs. METHODS Studies published prior to 11 February 2023 were collected from electronic databases, including PubMed/MEDLINE, MEDLINE (Ovid), Web of Science, EMBASE (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCO), and ProQuest. A checklist for qualitative research drawn from the Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewer's Manual was applied to assess the quality of the included studies. Meta-aggregation was performed to synthesize the findings of the included studies. RESULTS Four synthesized findings were derived from 15 studies: cost communication offered more benefits than drawbacks, and most patients were willing to engage in cost communication; cost communication has been implemented in clinical practice but continued to face shortcomings and barriers; an expected cost communication should take into account timing, location, personnel, personality, and content; healthcare providers required education, information, tools, standardized processes, and policy and organizational support to increase their ability to deliver cost communication. CONCLUSIONS Cost communication can help optimize decision-making and reduce the risk of financial difficulties, as has been widely recognized by patients and healthcare providers. However, a complete clinical practice plan to facilitate cost communication has not yet been created.
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Espinoza Suarez NR, LaVecchia CM, Morrow AS, Fischer KM, Kamath C, Boehmer KR, Brito JP. ABLE to support patient financial capacity: A qualitative analysis of cost conversations in clinical encounters. PATIENT EDUCATION AND COUNSELING 2022; 105:3249-3258. [PMID: 35918230 DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2022.07.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To explore how costs of care are discussed in real clinical encounters and what humanistic elements support them. METHODS A qualitative thematic analysis of 41 purposively selected transcripts of video-recorded clinical encounters from trials run between 2007 and 2015. Videos were obtained from a corpus of 220 randomly selected videos from 8 practice-based randomized trials and 1 pre-post prospective study comparing care with and without shared decision making (SDM) tools. RESULTS Our qualitative analysis identified two major themes: the first, Space Needed for Cost Conversations, describes patients' needs regarding their financial capacity. The second, Caring Responses, describes humanistic elements that patients and clinicians can bring to clinical encounters to include good quality cost conversations. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that strengthening patient-clinician human connections, focusing on imbalances between patient resources and burdens, and providing space to allow potentially unexpected cost discussions to emerge may best support high quality cost conversations and tailored care plans. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS We recommend clinicians consider 4 aspects of communication, represented by the mnemonic ABLE: Ask questions, Be kind and acknowledge emotions, Listen for indirect signals and (discuss with) Every patient. Future research should evaluate the practicality of these recommendations, along with system-level improvements to support implementation of our recommendations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nataly R Espinoza Suarez
- Knowledge and Evaluation Research (KER) Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; VITAM - Centre for Sustainable Health Research, Laval University, Quebec, QC, Canada
| | | | - Allison S Morrow
- Evidence-Based Practice Center, Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington DC, USA
| | - Karen M Fischer
- Division of Biomedical Statistics and Informatics, Mayo Clinic, MN, USA
| | - Celia Kamath
- Knowledge and Evaluation Research (KER) Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; Evidence-Based Practice Center, Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Kasey R Boehmer
- Knowledge and Evaluation Research (KER) Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; Evidence-Based Practice Center, Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
| | - Juan P Brito
- Knowledge and Evaluation Research (KER) Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism, and Nutrition, Mayo Clinic, MN, USA.
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