Often when a patient walks into a provider's office, he or she might not have any idea about the total cost of the visit—except what the copay might be.

A more consumer-centric approach to healthcare has caused health plans to forgo the communications strategies of old. Consumer-directed benefit products such as health-savings accounts (HSAs) have caused consumers to shoulder more responsibility in making healthcare choices to make their dollars go farther and to weigh carefully the cost, quality and necessity of the care they purchase.

The sales force has had to become more knowledgeable because their accounts have more data.

As the U.S. healthcare industry continues its evolution from paper toward electronic medical record-keeping, a trend is emerging: The payers are leading the way, but the consumer ultimately will benefit from -- and actively participate in -- the shift toward industrywide computer-based medical-record databases.

Best practices are at the heart of P4P and require that providers be evaluated on delivery-of-care effectiveness, outcomes

In the september issue, Part I of this two-part series on episode grouping focused on how this method of statistical tracking enables healthcare organizations to more effectively deliver the most appropriate treatments in order to manage the associated costs.

As Healthcare organizations continue to seek ways by which to deliver top-quality care in a more cost-effective manner, the concept of episode grouping is increasingly coming into vogue.

In the evolving process of electronically linking all aspects of the healthcare industry so that important data can be shared quickly, efficiently and effectively, another step is being taken, one that holds promise for those who take the time to understand the potential value as well as how to overcome some inherent challenges.

THE NATIONAL controversy over the escalating cost of healthcare in the United States has increased debates over how best to contain those costs;and whether existing approaches to delivering quality healthcare are viable financially as well as medically.