What Do Your Patients Think About You?

Use of patient-satisfaction surveys reportedly has been increasing among health systems and medical practices, but are many rheumatologists conducting them?

No nationwide data seem to be available, but less than 50% of members of the Mississippi Arthritis and Rheumatism Society reported in January that they conduct patient-satisfaction surveys, according to the society’s immediate past president, Charles M. King II, MD. In his state, rheumatologists affiliated with large health systems appeared to be more likely than small practices to use patient-satisfaction tools.

Dr. King, a private-practice rheumatologist with North Mississippi Health Services in Tupelo, Miss., says his large health system evaluates patient satisfaction monthly and that such surveys are a crucial part of practice-improvement processes.

“We are in a healthcare environment that demands quality,” says Dr. King, chair of the ACR Committee on Rheumatologic Care (CORC). “But we also have to pay attention to customer satisfaction.”

Benefits of Surveys

As the healthcare market becomes more consumer driven, practices that show they care about patient satisfaction will have a competitive advantage, experts say.

“Anyone who ignores patient-satisfaction surveys, I think, is not going to have a thriving practice for long,” says Eric S. Schned, MD, a clinical rheumatologist with Park Nicollet Clinic in Minneapolis.

Dr. Schned

If your rheumatology practice is not using patient-satisfaction surveys, consider the evidence supporting their use.

High ratings on patient-satisfaction surveys have been linked to benefits for medical practices ranging from reduced patient turnover to lower malpractice risk.^1-2 More recently, a survey conducted by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) in Englewood, Colo., shows that formally evaluating patients’ experiences may relate to higher revenues. More than 60% of 549 “better-performing” medical practices use patient-satisfaction surveys to assess and improve operations, the 2011 MGMA survey finds.³

Many private healthcare organizations already are using patient-satisfaction scores for physician compensation such as bonuses. If you accept Medicare patients, evaluating your patients’ experiences may even become a requirement. Experts anticipate that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will tie measurement of patient experience to a pay formula for physicians within the next few years.⁴

Furthermore, the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) is considering when to add a patient-survey requirement to its maintenance of certification (MOC) program, as it is a requirement of the American Board of Medical Specialties, says ABIM spokeswoman Lorie B. Slass. However, she notes that patient surveys are already a part of some of the ABIM’s Practice Improvement Modules for MOC.