Four reasons why getting care from a single provider network is better for your health

We love freedom. Our nation was founded on this principle. So it's natural to want a health plan that gives us the freedom to choose any doctor, hospital or pharmacy. Plans with limited provider network choices are seen as less desirable. However, the better result may come when your choices are limited to an organized healthcare team, especially when you're threatened with a serious illness.

Unlimited freedom of choice isn't always great. Anyone who's stood in the supermarket aisle wondering which of a myriad of lookalike products to pick knows that the act of choosing the best one can be exhausting. Is the fifteenth brand of pasta that much better than the first or tenth? We may get to a satisfying result, but the journey can be exhausting.

Choosing amongst simple items like spaghetti with easily known and understood differences is manageable. Making adequately informed healthcare choices is much harder—especially when an urgent illness raises the stakes. The healthy person doesn't expect to see the doctor much. They care about out-of-pocket costs, convenience and good service when visits are needed. Extensive and detailed information isn't needed because the risk of a poor choice is low.

For the seriously ill person, the decision stakes are much higher. Factors such as qualifications, experience and access loom larger. Even more important than the quality of the individual physician is the network they belong to. Who they know and work with is almost as important as what they know.

Cheaper health plans with fewer health care providers to choose from—so-called narrow or tiered networks—seem like a bad deal, but when these providers all belong to the same system the health outcomes may be better. Here are four reasons why choosing your providers from a single network may be better for your health than picking your own all-star team.

1. Communication. Healthcare is driven by information. Medical data—and immediate access to it—eliminates duplication, confusion and opportunities to drop the ball. Highly integrated healthcare teams share a common electronic medical record where all clinical notes, lab tests and pharmacy records are stored and immediately available for the providers.

2. Coordination. A single team whose members frequently work together is better equipped to manage complex cases. A healthy person's minor medical issue is like a dripping faucet. Fixing it involves a friend's recommendation or a simple Internet search for a well-rated plumber. It doesn't matter if he doesn't work well with the carpenters or electricians, because you don't need those services. A health crisis is like a major home renovation—coordination is critical. Miss a key step and the place may fall down. An experienced general contractor acting in your best interests leading a team of trusted tradespersons will produce the better result.

3. Accountability. A single team is more accountable than a group of disparate specialists. The buck is less likely to be passed and important steps are less likely to be missed.

4. Efficiency. The coordinated healthcare team saves time and money. There is less time wasted waiting for doctors who don't know each other to connect. They are also less likely to order duplicative or unnecessary tests.

It's been said that you won't find any atheists in a foxhole. The same may be true about choosing health care—we may want total freedom of choice, but when things get serious, we get better results by putting our faith in a team of professionals working together in our best interests.

-----

Have a health care question or frustration? Share your story »