Dive Brief:
- A new survey by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions concluded that 75% of employers see hospitals as a "major influence" on overall healthcare costs, including 72% of owners/CEOs, 81% of CFOs and 70% of HR executives.
- Among the 500 employers surveyed, prescription drug costs and waste and inefficiency in clinical, administrative and billing processes came in second and third, with 67% citing them as major influences in healthcare costs.
- Only 14% of employers said they trust hospitals as a source of information to help them buy health services; most respondents said they'd use independent consultants for this function.
Dive Insight:
Given the way employers buy healthcare, it's not surprising to learn that they don't have a warm, fuzzy relationship with hospitals. Most corporate healthcare buyers work with brokers or directly with health plans, neither of which is likely to name hospitals as the "good guy" in the system. If hospitals don't want to be seen as the big mean gorilla, cost-wise, they've got a lot of reaching out to do. Perhaps employers will shift their views when they spend more time with hospital leaders, but that won't happen easily. Hospitals, you've got your work cut out for you here.