2004 Institute Annual Report

Understanding customer needs

Consumer-directed health care is an emerging trend of increased patient choice triggered by benefit plan redesigns and increases in co-pays and deductibles. This new market creates changes and challenges as decision-making shifts to a highly collaborative approach fueled by patients’ health and financial values. Park Nicollet Institute is leading efforts to understand health care consumerism and how to ready patients, providers and health care systems for change. Knowing many of the answers reside within the beliefs and behaviors of patients, much of our work in 2004 focused on understanding our customer. We are pleased to share our progress and other accomplishments in this report.

• Patient-centeredness
• Activated employees
• Award-winning research