News

Wall Street Journal Looks at Tools That Identify Low-Cost Care Options

January 26, 2006

The Wall Street Journal on Thursday looked at efforts by insurers to provide patients with tools — including a cell phone Web browsing service — to help them find low-cost treatment options.

Lumenos, a unit of WellPoint, in February will launch the cell phone service, which lets patients type drug names into their cell phones' Web browsers and get lists of lower-cost alternatives. The program is designed so that patients can ask their physicians about cost-effective alternatives while they still are at their appointments.

This effort is part of a larger trend of insurance companies trying to get patients to help rein in health care costs, the Journal reports. In addition to the Lumenos program, health insurers also are posting online lists of "questions to ask your doctor" and sending patients suggestions for lowering medical costs.

Insurers say these tactics will benefit patients, who are being asked to pay a growing percentage of their care costs. Dr. Constance Williams — associate medical director for UniCare, which is a division of WellPoint — said the efforts are designed to make patients feel more comfortable discussing cost concerns with their physicians. "I think that we need to give patients tools and training to make sure that their concerns are heard," she said.

Dr. Larry Fields, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, said the cell phone program could be time consuming during an appointment. "If I've got to sit there and wait for them to look something up on a cell phone, that takes up their time and my time," he said. "It's kind of a silly resolution, but the premise is not bad." (Rubenstein, Wall Street Journal, 1/26)