A new J.D. Power and Associates study reveals that member satisfaction with health plans sharing characteristics of integrated delivery systems is higher than member satisfaction in which providers and payers aren't part of the same organization.

The 2011 U.S. Member Health Insurance Plan Study measured member satisfaction among 137 health plans in 17 regions throughout the United States by examining seven factors: Coverage and benefits, provider choice, information and communication, claims processing, statements, customer service and approval processes.

Satisfaction among members in integrated health plans such as Health Alliance Plan and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan averaged 741 on a 1,000-point scale, versus a score of 691 among members who are enrolled in plans in which care isn't integrated. The reason for this, the study said, was because IDS plans were simpler to understand than those plans in which provider and payer weren't in the same organization.