Consumerist Patient

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:

1. Shopping for good values in services
2. Negotiating for service rates
3. Looking for providers that offer cash discounts
4. Looking for providers that offer acommodating payment plans
5. Considering going out of state or out of the country for services (medical tourism)