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March 4, 2021
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David W. Johnson
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Consumerism Economics
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Healthcare’s Administrative “Sludge” Is Worse than You Think

The economic term “externalities” sounds remote and antiseptic, but it’s not. Externalities are the economic equivalent of side effects. They affect daily living in ways large and small. Riding a bike to work reduces pollution. Driving has the opposite effect.

According to Economics Help.org, “externalities occur when producing or consuming a good cause an impact on third parties not directly related to the transaction.” As my commuting example above illustrates, externalities can be good or bad.

Given its scale, it’s not surprising that healthcare is rife with positive and negative externalities. Covid vaccinations, for example, reduce infection risk for those who have not received shots. Lifting statewide mask mandates too early, as Texas just did, increases Covid risk to third parties.

According to a 2019 JAMA article, administrative waste increases annual healthcare expenditure by $266 billion. That waste exerts a massive drag on the U.S. economy. Its negative externalities compound the economic drag significantly.

Although it’s obvious, I hadn’t thought about administrative waste’s externality costs until reviewing a Stanford Business School study led by Jeffrey Pfeffer. Hassling with health insurance claims is burdensome, time consuming and stressful. We all know this. The costs to third parties associated with this “hassling” are monumental. 

Pfeffer estimates the annual toll on workers and their employers to be $144 billion. He uses the term “sludge” (perfect language) to describe lost worker time spent on claims processing, costs associated with increased job absence and lost productivity due to reduced job satisfaction.

Oy veh!

Read all dispatches from Dave Johnson here

About the Author

David W. Johnson

David Johnson is the CEO of 4sight Health, an advisory company working at the intersection of healthcare strategy, economics, innovation. Johnson is a healthcare thought leader, keynote speaker, and strategic advisor to organizations busting the status-quo to reform our healthcare system. He is the author of Market vs. Medicine: America’s Epic Fight for Better, Affordable Healthcare, and his second book, The Customer Revolution in Healthcare: Delivering Kinder, Smarter, Affordable Care for All (McGraw-Hill 2019). As a speaker, Dave plays the role of rebel, challenger, industry historian, investor and company evaluator to push audiences forward. (Watch bio video.) Johnson applies his 25+ years of investment banking in healthcare to identify ways the healthcare industry must change to deliver better care. He received a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School, an English degree from Colgate University, and served in the African Peace Corp service. Join over 10k+ healthcare executives who read our weekly insights and commentary on www.4sighthealth.comPreorder his third book, The Coming Healthcare Revolution: 10 Forces that Will Cure America’s Health Crisis, now.

 

 

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