Hartford-based Aetna’s third-quarter provider survey found an average payer-provider trust score of 6.0 on a scale of 1 to 10, in line with 6.1 in the second quarter and up from 5.4 in the first.

Half of providers said payers make decisions that prioritize patient well-being, up two percentage points from the second quarter and six from the first.

Steve Nelson, executive vice president of CVS Health and president of Aetna, said: “Building trust remains our priority, and I am pleased to see the payer-provider trust scores remain strong. Deepening our provider relationships helps us partner closely to improve access to affordable care and makes it easier for members to navigate the health care system. We have more work ahead of us but I am encouraged to see providers are recognizing Aetna’s investments to reduce friction and improve transparency.”

Fewer providers, 67%, named administrative burden as their top challenge, down seven percentage points from the second quarter. Among them, 58% named updating patient medical records as the biggest contributor, up five points. Nearly 1 in 3 providers said real-time patient information is the most important action payers could take.

Nearly all providers, 94%, agreed that fraud, waste and abuse must be addressed, and close to 60% said the top benefit would be lower overall costs. About 30% want payers to use artificial intelligence to flag suspicious claims or patterns, their top recommended action.

Morning Consult surveyed 727 providers nationwide, including physicians, nurses, pharmacists and hospital executives, with a margin of error of 4 percentage points.  

Nearly 9 in 10 providers believe payers can realistically reduce up to half of fraud, waste and abuse each year.