Role of Information in Improving Health Care Service Delivery: Evidence from the Moldovan Patient Satisfaction Survey

Paucity of information on the informal market for health services hampers the governments' efforts in performing their desirable roles in informing, regulating, mandating, financing and providing health services to their people. Analysis of data from a large patient satisfaction survey of almost 20,000 patients fills a significant void in understanding informal payments in Moldova and, possibly, in other countries in transition. A probability model of informal payments supports the idea that knowledge and information have profound impact on reducing frequency of informal payments. The patients who: a) knew the services they are entitled to, b) got acquainted with the list of paid services and their prices, and, c) observed posted price lists of paid services, all had lower likelihood of leaving informal payments than others. Thus, informing patients, which is the least expensive and intrusive role of the governments, could significantly reduce informal payments in the health care system of the countries in transition.