Transparency drives patient choice; 9 in 10 Indians willing to pay more for certified healthcare: Report

New Delhi, Oct 12 (PTI) Around 83 per cent of patients in India seek objective, accessible information to guide their healthcare choices, and nearly 90 per cent are willing to pay more for certified quality, as per a report by FICCI and EY-Parthenon.

While India's healthcare efficiency outperforms global peers, structural and financial pressures reinforce the need for a national framework that sets clear minimum quality standards, enabling patients to make informed healthcare choices, the report, titled 'True Accountable Care: Maximizing Healthcare Delivery Impact, Efficiently', stated.

The report, based on research across 250 hospitals in 40 cities with 75,000 beds, surveys of over 1,000 patients and 100-plus clinicians, consultation with CXOs and investors, stated that bed per capita capacity has doubled since 2000 in India. The country still has one of the lowest hospital bed densities globally and a dual payor-provider fragmentation challenge with just 25-30 beds per hospital compared to over 100 internationally.

The survey finds that about 83 per cent of patients increasingly seek objective, accessible information to guide their choices and would benefit from a single, trusted source of hospital ratings or clinical outcomes.

Nearly 90 per cent of patients who sought this information say they would pay more for certified quality.

Also, the top five payors are driving only 40 per cent of payouts versus 80 per cent in other developed markets.

The report proposes a value digital framework to strengthen accountable healthcare through five key elements: vital infrastructure, advanced interoperability, leveraging intelligent systems, unified care, and evidence-based governance.

Kaivaan Movdawalla, partner and National Healthcare Leader, EY-Parthenon India, said, "Our report shows strong alignment between patients, who seek transparent quality data and clinicians, who are willing to support standardised outcome measurement and reporting.

Varun Khanna, Co-Chair, FICCI Health Services Committee and Group MD, Quality Care India Limited (Care, KIMS & Evercare) said, "This report is both a mirror and a map, reflecting how far India's healthcare system has come and outlining where it needs to go next".

"The next phase must be about value, not volume: aligning incentives around outcomes, patient experience, and long-term health. The fact that nearly 90 per cent of clinicians recognise the need for standardised pathways and outcome measures is a strong signal that the system is ready for this transformation." PTI MSS BAL BAL