JAMA Network Study Shows Quality of Care Doesn’t Mitigate High Out-Of-Pocket Healthcare Costs

A newly published study in JAMA Network has found that no matter whether the quality of care for emergency general surgery (EGS) is good or subpar, the out of pocket (OOP) costs are uniformly high. The researchers looked at 23,450 patients admitted for several common causes of EGS at over 600 facilities from 2016 to 2019.

According to Briana Contreras, Authors of the study, which was published in Jama Network, found that patients with commercial insurance had total and OOP costs that varied by facility for common EGS conditions without any association with quality of care, even after adjusting for patient, insurance, and clinical factors. Data revealed the mean OOP costs for EGS at top decile facilities was $3,021 compared with $2,238 for the bottom decile. “”

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(Source: Managed Healthcare Executive, January 22^nd, 2023)