More Than 25,000 Surveys Show Patients Very Satisfied With Their Doctors' Care; After-Hours Advice and Patient Follow-Up Are Key Opportunities for Improvement
Posted on: Wednesday, 10 January 2007, 15:01 CST
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Jan. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Patients nationwide generally are very satisfied with the care they receive from their physicians, according to a year-end analysis of more than 25,000 surveys compiled by the online site http://www.drscore.com/.
Almost half of the surveys gave the doctors scores of 10-extremely satisfied. Two-thirds gave ratings of 8, 9 or 10, meaning the patients were at least very satisfied with their doctors' care.
"The surveys tell us that physicians are doing a very good job in caring for their patients," said Dr. Steven R. Feldman, a professor at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and the founder of DrScore. "The survey responses tell us how we can be doing an even better job."
For example, more than half of the surveys gave ratings of 10 for how satisfied patients were with getting physicians to answer questions. Almost half gave ratings of 10 for providing test results in a timely fashion and for the time physicians spent with patients during office visits.
In contrast, only 40 percent gave ratings of 10 for how satisfied patients were with getting medical advice after office hours, and 15 percent gave ratings of zero-not at all satisfied. Another area in which physicians or their practices could improve would be in following up on patients' concerns. According to DrScore, about one in four respondents was "not at all" or "not too" satisfied with their physicians in this area.
"There is a big focus today on improving medical care through electronic record systems," Dr. Feldman said. "While these systems may be important for clinical operations, from the typical patient's perspective, there are immediate issues to tackle. It is important to see how some of the improvement opportunities in patient satisfaction do not rely on new technology or innovations."
The online survey at http://www.drscore.com/ is designed to enable patients to give more detailed answers in areas that matter most to them. This gives physician practices that subscribe to DrScore's reporting service a clear but comprehensive look at ways they could improve patient care. Data can be compared against regional and national benchmarks.
"Doctors want to provide the best care," said Feldman, who established Medical Quality Enhancement Corp. in 2004 to develop DrScore. "DrScore puts patients in the driver's seat to help make that happen."
DrScore.com
CONTACT: Mike Massoglia for DrScore.com, +1-336-723-5315
Web site: http://www.drscore.com/
Source: PRNewswire
Related Articles
- New Medical Imaging Partnership Sets Standard for Physician Collaboration, Delivering Higher Quality Patient Care
- Survey Results From Physicians Nationwide Reveal Patient Access to Physicians Now on Life Support
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Forum Examines Cutting-Edge Medical Care That Better Meets Patients' Needs
- 500,000 Patients Treated at Take Care Health Clinics
- Aetna Supports Patient Charter for Physician Performance Measurement, Reporting and Tiering Programs
- National Business Coalition on Health Endorses Patient Charter for Physician Performance Measurement
- Hospice Care Proven to Benefit Patients, Families and Medicare's Bottom Line
- Nurse Care Improves Heart Failure Patients
- Motion Picture & Television Fund Ranks Highest in Southern California in Statewide Consumer Survey of Patients, Quality Healthcare
 |
 |
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds