Shady Grove Fertility Reproductive Science Center, Rockville, Maryland 20850, USA.
Semin Reprod Med. 2013 May;31(3):198-203. doi: 10.1055/s-0033-1336600. Epub 2013 Apr 22.
As fertility rates among women of advanced reproductive age have steadily increased, so has the utilization of fertility services. National health policies provide infertility treatment coverage in several developed countries; however, in the United States infertility treatment is largely privately funded, resulting in limited access to care. In response to the lack of insurance coverage, many practices offer fertility treatment on a risk-sharing or contingency fee basis. The ethical delivery of care under the auspices of these programs requires adherence to core principles including transparency, patient autonomy, and the delivery of appropriate medical care. Moreover, concerns regarding patient understanding and decision making have also been of foremost concern. Patients must be able to fully appreciate the financial and clinical implications of contingency fee programs. To further explore patient comprehension and satisfaction, we surveyed participants in our shared risk assisted reproductive technology program. The overwhelming majority of respondents felt adequately informed of and fairly charged for their treatment. Our results demonstrate that shared risk programs can receive strong endorsement from participants, which may lead to improved utilization of and perseverance with fertility treatment.
随着高龄产妇生育率的稳步上升,生育服务的利用率也在不断提高。一些发达国家的国家卫生政策为不孕治疗提供了保障;然而,在美国,不孕治疗主要由私人出资,导致获得医疗服务的机会有限。为了应对保险覆盖范围不足的问题,许多医疗机构提供基于风险分担或 contingency fee 的生育治疗。在这些项目的支持下提供护理服务需要遵守核心原则,包括透明度、患者自主权和提供适当的医疗护理。此外,患者的理解和决策问题也引起了人们的关注。患者必须能够充分了解 contingency fee 项目的财务和临床影响。为了进一步探讨患者的理解和满意度,我们调查了我们的共享风险辅助生殖技术项目的参与者。绝大多数受访者认为他们得到了充分的治疗信息告知,并被公平收费。我们的结果表明,共享风险计划可以得到参与者的大力支持,这可能会提高生育治疗的利用率和坚持率。