Employer Utilization Management Tactics Place Healthcare Benefits Cost Before Patient Care, Survey Finds
NEW YORK, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Utilization management (UM) tools may be effective in controlling short-term organizational costs, but they are not as effective in controlling health care costs for employees and can even serve as barriers to treatment, according to a new survey of large employers by CancerCare, the leading national cancer support organization.
- They overwhelmingly (98%) said that direct costs are the most important information source in their benefits decision making.
- "When cost is the dominant factor in guiding employers' benefits decision making, employee health can pay the price," said Patricia J. Goldsmith,Chief Executive Officer, CancerCare.
- "Employers must take care to balance cost savings with the real needs of their employees, especially those with serious or chronic illnesses."
- A total of 50 executives who are responsible for employee benefits, from 50 different large US employers, participated in the January 2022 CancerCare Employer Market Survey.