Study: Tiered Provider Networks Keep Medical Spending Down
<p>A new analysis in<em> Health Affairs</em> by Harvard University researchers found that health plans featuring tiered provider networks were associated with a 5 percent decrease in spending—about $43 less per member per quarter when compared with similar plans not offering tiered networks.</p><p>Tiered network plans may be more palatable to consumers than narrow-network plans, since they cover care from nonpreferred providers, albeit with higher cost-sharing.</p>
<p>The study, led by Anna D. Sinaiko and supported by The Commonwealth Fund, examined the impact of tiered primary care physician groups and hospitals offered through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. The researchers looked at inpatient care, outpatient care, outpatient radiology, and total health care spending.</p>