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Electronic Guide: Decision Helper

Decision Helper – A Guide to Health Plan Quality from the Consumer’s Point of View is a model for a computer-based report of survey results. To see Decision Helper, go to http://www.rand.org/health/cahps/dh/index.html.

The guide includes essentially the same information as the printed guide but is designed and formatted to take advantage of a computer’s capabilities. A consistent set of navigational images and icons helps make the Decision Helper easy to use for both novices and experienced computer users.

Contents of the Electronic Guide

Decision Helper has four main parts:

  • Welcome, a motivational section that contains information to help users understand the purpose and content of the guide.
  • Types of Plans, which provides information about HMOs and PPOs and how they differ.
  • Survey Results, which presents the survey results in a hierarchical fashion, using summary charts (also known as “star charts”) and bar graphs. When viewing summary charts, users can select individual topics that present more detailed and specific information (the bar graphs).
  • Your Worksheet, which contains general advice about comparing health plans as well as a summary table that helps consumers organize and integrate the information presented in the other sections of the Decision Helper. This section also gives advice about how to find more information regarding benefits, costs, and doctors, and discusses important issues to consider when choosing a health plan.

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How the Electronic Guide Supports Communication Goals

Various elements of the sample electronic guide support the goals of a communications strategy.

Educate

Inform

Support Decisionmaking

  • Information on the importance of quality in health plan choices

  • Information on differences among types of health plans
  • Star charts/bar graphs

  • Specific facts about plans

  • Explanatory text about the survey
  • Results plus explanatory material

  • Facts about plans that help reader set priorities

  • Non-CAHPS information (e.g., costs, physician availability)

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CAHPS® : Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems

Last updated 2/1/2010


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