In 2008, CHCF worked with Strategyn, a consulting firm, to explore how to improve health care services for low-income workers. The effort used Strategyn's "Outcomes Driven Innovation," a proprietary methodology that identifies "jobs" or outcomes consumers are seeking to achieve and blockages in current processes, technologies, or devices that prevent them from succeeding. The study asked consumers how important a service was versus how satisfied they were in that same area, and looked for gaps where a market opportunity might exist.

The CHCF/Strategyn project focused on uninsured, working consumers across California who were trying to get health care services for themselves and their families. Highlights of the report include the following:

• If at all possible, uninsured workers wanted to avoid going to the doctor. Information or services that would help them determine if a visit to the physician is necessary would be well received.
• Uninsured workers found it very important to know what the cost of services would be before they were provided. This was especially true in the case of laboratory tests, imaging, and other diagnostics.
• Uninsured workers wanted to recover quickly from ailments and avoid complications. Knowing whether medication or other treatment would speed the recovery, as well as other things they could do at home to get better quickly, was vital.
• This group of workers was especially concerned with being able to trust the health care provider to give them all the treatment that is needed and only the treatment that is needed. They were very sensitive to services being withheld and excessive tests or services that might not be necessary.

Results of this study are available under Document Downloads.