More U.S. employees rely on their employer and health plan for medical and health information, according to a nationwide survey of employees conducted by the National Business Group on Health.

Three in four workers used their employer as a resource for medical and health information in 2010, a 54 percent gain from 2007, the survey found, while 69 percent of respondents rated their employers as completely, very or moderately trustworthy sources of heath information. The percent of workers who relied on their health plan for health and medical information jumped from 67 percent in 2007 to 76 percent in 2010.

"Employees face great challenges in navigating a complex, fragmented and hard-to-access health care delivery system," says Helen Daring, president and CEO of the National Business Group on Health. "The amount of health care information that consumers need to sift through just to know what they should be doing seems endless and daunting. Our survey shows that workers want their employers to play a role in helping them access medical information about their health and how to make good treatment decisions from sources which are objective, trustworthy and reliable, such as the American Heart Association."

Based on the survey, a most employees are somewhat familiar with comparative effectiveness research, which allows doctors and patients determine which type of health care works best by comparing the effectiveness of different health tests or treatments. In fact, 53 percent of respondents had heard about comparative effectiveness research a few times, 28 percent had heard about comparative effectiveness research more than a few times. Fifty-seven percent of those familiar with it believe this type of research is important.

When asked how much trust is put into organizations that conduct comparative research, 74 percent said nonprofit organizations that focus on a specific illness are trustworthy while 70 percent believe an independent panel of doctors and other health professionals are the most dependable. Sixty-one percent said a college, university or other educational institution is most trusted when conducting comparative research.

"While employers now pay more than $10,000 per active employee annually for health care, they are not confident that these expenditures are truly improving employee health," Darling says. "As a result, they are now looking for ways to ensure that employees are receiving safe and appropriate quality health care, including care based on comparative effectiveness research. That, however, raises many questions employers need to address including how do employees currently make health care decisions and how do they evaluate which treatments are best for them."

Among the survey's other key findings, 85 percent of respondents researched symptom information before visiting a doctor, and 71 percent of respondents said they brought a list of questions to ask their doctor during a visit. Still, 41 percent said they didn't know how to discuss their concerns while 47 percent felt their doctors visits were rushed.

Instant Insights /

Employees turn to employers, health plans for medical information

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