This year’s healthcare reform debate primarily addressed funding issues. However, even after the bill was signed into law, questions remained about the ability to fund national healthcare reform.

Here’s one idea that which will both reduce costs and improve patient quality. It’s called the “empowered patient.”

During a recent study of hospitalized patients conducted by Hebert Research, 63 percent of patients surveyed expressed a “want to know” more about being involved in their personal health care decisions. No difference was found for patient demographics or whether the patients used private insurance or Medicare.

The survey found that, while patients use a broad base of information sources, empowered patients rated the internet as their primary source for healthcare information.

The research also found that 60 percent of patients had a clear expectation as to the amount of time that would be spend on their care. They also did not believe that reducing the number of patients seen per hour is a real solution to controlling healthcare costs. Misdiagnosis and potential litigation offset the additional time cost of more time spent with patients.

One of the solutions supported by the research was use of a Patient First Health Record (PFHR), which provides the physician with prior medical history and medications, treatment and lifestyle information such as exercise and diet. Even though patients continue to have concerns about privacy abuses, they want their physicians to know them better. This was reported among 55 percent of the patients surveyed.

Over half of those responding reported that they have a strong desire for a patient advocate, a partner in healthcare that is present during meetings with the physician, during treatment and in-patient or out-patient surgery. Such an advocate takes notes, makes observations, asks questions, and especially knows the patient’s rights. The advocate does not interfere in medical procedures or treatments.

Patients who had an advocate reported much higher levels of medical care than those who did not.

The research also found strong support for the practice of using a team. This involved the physician as the medical leader, an empowered patient to make the right decisions for their medical treatment, and the patient advocate. This medical team should have a goal, a medical plan and a measure of the outcomes that are agreed by all team members.

Jim Hebert is the president and founder of Hebert Research, Inc., an international real estate, land use, and statistical research firm in Bellevue.