Curbside Consult with Dr. Jayne 10/20/25

It’s open enrollment season for Medicare. Patients and their family members inundate physicians with questions about whether they should switch plans.

Most outpatient office visits are too short to have a meaningful conversation about the topic, especially when you’re trying to address a handful of chronic conditions and maybe a new problem, too. I refer people to the Medicare.gov. It contains solid resources, but does not explain that Medicare Advantage plans are generally for profit. They offer some extra bells and whistles such as vision and dental coverage, but they provide these by closely controlling costs in other areas.

I looked at health systems in neighboring states to see if they offer resources for educating patients and what they have available online. It’s a good reminder that health information technology isn’t just about helping clinicians document, but includes all of the digital assets that we use to engage patients as well.

I tried to put myself in the persona of someone who is new to Medicare and looking to understand their options. One system, which we’ll call The Sisters, appeared at the top of the sponsored listings when I searched for “Is Medicare Advantage for profit,” so I decided to start with them.

I went straight to a Medicare Readiness page, which offered a downloadable document. Once I entered my information, it said that the document would be emailed, but I could also click to access it right away. That is a nice feature for patients who may not be used to finding things in a download folder or having to go back to them later.

The download page also offered a physician search, links to Medicare.gov and other websites, and a list of plans for which the health system is considered in-network.

Out of fairness to the other systems in town that didn’t have sponsored search results, and for whom I’d be starting my exploration with a visit to their main website, I visited The Sisters’ home page. Although it had a reminder to get a mammogram and a headline about the system being the official provider of a local sports team, there was no mention of Medicare open enrollment, even in the “news” section. To my colleagues in marketing: this seems like a missed opportunity.

My next stop was Big Health System, which also didn’t have anything about Medicare open enrollment on their home page. I used the page’s search page to find “Medicare” topics and the top listing was for Annual Wellness Visits, followed by an entry for Medicare. Following that link took me to an extremely basic page that provided little information other than directing patients to call 1-800-MEDICARE. Given the government shutdown, that may not be the best resource for patients right now.

The page was full of acronyms. Although they were explained, it was a dense page that didn’t give anywhere near the clear information I had seen on the competitor’s site.

My third stop was University Health System, which also didn’t have anything about Medicare open enrollment on its main web page. I liked the fact that online scheduling and virtual care options were prominent, however.

One unique feature on the site was a mention of how and why the organization posts substitute breach notices for HIPAA issues and a link to their breach information site. There I was surprised to learn of an incident that I hadn’t seen mentioned in local media, and although it made me think about going down the rabbit hole to do a comparison of breach notification strategies for the different health systems, I was able to refrain.

A search for Medicare brought up a couple of screens of links. The only mention of Medicare was in the context of Accountable Care Organizations.

My last stop was at National Health System. Their home page caught my attention with a prominent link to “Price Transparency.” I couldn’t find a search box, so tried using the site’s chatbot. None of the options fit, so I chose “other.” That put me into a flow that was more about helping me find a location of care than providing general information.

I decided to go wild and request a live chat. I asked, “Do you have any information on Medicare Advantage versus traditional Medicare?” The agent said that they don’t provide insurance information and suggested reaching out to the insurance company directly.

As most readers have surmised based on my posts over the years, I’m a huge fan of patient engagement and patient empowerment. The lack of information across these sites represents a big gap, not only in helping patients advocate for themselves, but also in the health system’s ability to position itself as a partner with patients where they help them understand their options for coverage and the US’s healthcare economic realities in the US.

I don’t know whether that lack of information represents a local deficiency or a nationwide trend, but I’d be interested to hear from organizations that are doing a better job putting such information out there, as The Sisters website does.

Back on the system’s site, I found the document highly readable and well formatted, with pages that fit on a single screen and using a font that would be easily readable for older patients. It had good contrast, clear explanations, and some interesting historical facts about Medicare sprinkled throughout. It also included a couple of pages of general Medicare FAQs that made me think it would also be a good resource for younger folks who are helping their parents navigate the system.

I have quite a few years before I’m a Medicare beneficiary, but I hope resources like this are available to me when it’s time. In the interim, I will steer patients towards this resource, regardless of whether it’s related to the hospitals where I’m on staff.

Does your employer provide digital health resources to help patients understand insurance and other information about how care is delivered and funded in the US? Do you have something you’d like to showcase for our readers? Leave a comment or email me.

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