The consumerist patient is one who takes an active interest in the cost of his/her healthcare services. This may be a change for practices as patients of the past would not ask any questions about the cost of services, particularly if their insurance plan covered all services at 100% of allowable. As more responsibility for payment is falling to the patient, the patient is acting as a consumerist by:
- Shopping for good values in services
- Negotiating for service rates
- Looking for providers that offer cash discounts
- Looking for providers that offer acommodating payment plans
- Considering going out of state or out of the country for services (medical tourism)
