AUTHORS
Ronald Stine, MD, FACC
Sentara Medical Group
Benjamin Smalley, MBA, MHA
Sentara Medical Group
Using Data to Improve
Patient Satisfaction
No one enjoys waiting in line, but millions of people go to amusement
parks like Disney World each year and
do exactly that for much of the day.
Unlike some parks which disguise the
length of the line with elaborately
decorated, winding tunnels, Disney
World alerts its guests to just how
long the lines are, so they know what
they are getting into. Disney knows
how to manage its guests’ expectations.
The benefits are observable—guests
rarely if ever leave a line dissatisfied
with how long they were waiting and
leave the park thinking they wasted
their time, because they knew how
long they would be waiting when they
entered the line. Now Disney has its own
smart phone app that displays wait times for
attractions all over the park, allowing guests
to plan their route and maximize their time
and fun.
Managing Patient Expectations Increases
Satisfaction
Managing expectations to increase satisfaction works in healthcare as well. Intermountain Healthcare of Utah released an app to
provide the same wait-time information for
urgent cares. Individuals looking for an
emergency room can see a map of hospitals
with their current wait times and even get in
line with the app before they reach the hospital.
Imagine you are the patient. Wouldn’t knowing exactly how long you’re going to wait
decrease your waiting-room anxiety and
increase your satisfaction with the
healthcare experience?
Healthcare needs to focus more on customer
service and the patient experience. We can
learn a lot from what other industries do to
manage expectations and provide superior
experiences despite the unique challenges
they face. Disney cannot just eliminate their
lines, and hospitals cannot eliminate wait
times, but communicating effectively and
transparently with customers can minimize
A patient has an appointment at 8am. What does
it mean for the patient to be seen “on time?”
A. The patient checks in at the front desk by 8am
B. The patient is called back by the nurse by 8am
C. The patient is in the exam room by 8am
D. The patient is with the provider by 8am
the negative aspects of
their experience.
Measuring Patient Satisfaction
Some feel that measuring patient
satisfaction gives doctors poor incentives—keeping the patient satisfied
can take priority over providing the
best, most cost-effective care. Kai
Falkenberg of Forbes Magazine writes,
“The math is now simple for doctors:
more tests and stronger drugs equal more
satisfied patients, and more satisfied patients equal more pay. The biggest loser: the
patient, who may not receive appropriate
care.”*
Why Sentara Cares About Survey Scores
Sentara Healthcare is a 124 year old not-forprofit mission operating a $7 billion health
system with 12 acute care hospitals and 3
medical groups with over 800 providers and
452,000 members in its Optima health plan.
Sentara also operates the Sentara College of
Health Sciences and is ranked among the
most integrated healthcare systems.
While measuring patient satisfaction could
create some perverse incentives, it also
helps offices and physicians discover areas in
which they can be more customer-oriented,
without affecting the quality of healthcare
provided. As patients become
For groups of more than
more exposed to how much Some Definitions
CG-CAHPS: Clinician and Group 100 eligible professionals
their care costs and have
Consumer Assessment of
more choices in where to get Healthcare Providers and Systems like Sentara, CG-CAHPS
their care, the perception of HCAHPS: Hospital Consumer As- data collection is required,
their physician and the office sessment of Healthcare Providers and this could soon apply
to smaller groups as well.
is going to become more and and Systems
Outcomes of the CGmore important, whether we AHRQ: Agency for Healthcare
CAHPS surveys are pubResearch and Quality
measure and report it or not.
lished on the Affordable
So do we fight it, or embrace
Care Act-legislated CMS Physician Compare
it?
website, and reimbursement in the near
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