A health care consumer is anyone who uses health services.
From newborn care at delivery to long-term care later in life, everyone has
healthcare needs which changes during lifespan. What differs from the
traditional patient role is that a consumer who is a self-empowered decision
maker, vs. the patient who is a passive receiver of care. Patients are
vulnerable and have no choices. A patient is also a healthcare consumer, but a
consumer is not necessarily a patient. People today believe they have that
capacity to make informed health decisions, in a similar vein to how they make
other decisions. People would like to empower themselves to move from the
passive experience of being a patient to the engaged and powerful experience of
being a consumer. Most importantly, we
are accountable for our own wellness and should take an important role in
health care or care giving decision making.
What matters most to the healthcare customers are quality,
cost, and coverage. These are inextricably linked and that all must be addressed
for meeting health care needs. Overall, older age group uses more healthcare
services and spending more for healthcare needs. Consumers are increasingly
requiring personalized care; transparency in network coverage, medical prices,
and bills; convenience; and more engaging in active participation of care.
Healthcare is different from other services because it is
not clearly defined. In most industries, the product or service can be
standardized to improve efficiency and quality, but healthcare provide services
for personalized needs. In reality, it is challenging to making a role
transition from a patient to an educated health care consumer, especially when
getting older becoming more vulnerable. It is important to know your rights and
empower yourself with health literacy. Learn how to transition from a patient
to an educated customer for health and dental care, go to https://qualitylifeforum.weebly.com/2022-june-making-transition-from-a-patient-to-an-educated-healthcare-customer.html and https://qualitylifeforum.weebly.com/2021-nov-navigation-for-healthcare-needs.html
To be an educated healthcare customer,
- Recognize that you could pay very different amounts for healthcare services depending on where you go.
- Shop around when you can, but don’t sacrifice quality for price.
- Don’t make the mistake of assuming that a high price translates into high quality.
- Seek out information on the quality of care as well as the out-of-pocket expenses you can expect.
- Most importantly, always review your medical/dental billing statements carefully and verify each charge is correct or take actions to resolve billing issues before making a payment.
Health coaching supports you to make health a priority and take actions to make good things happen. Everyone faces challenges; consider seeking support from Qualitylifeforum trustworthy resources and engage with positive influences. Health coaching can help you to be an educated healthcare customer. Contact Qualitylifeforum@outlook.com for your health coaching needs.
