Newswise — SEATTLE – (Oct. 7, 2015) – Virginia Mason Medical Center began this week posting online ratings for, and patients’ comments about, its clinic physicians and providers as another service to help individuals make well-informed health care decisions.
The ratings (up to five stars) and comments are based on patient satisfaction surveys and appear with providers’ biographies on the Virginia Mason website, VirginiaMason.org. To find a specific provider, type his or her name in the “Search” field at the top of the homepage.
“Today’s society increasingly demands transparency and access to information that allows for convenient, quick and informed decision-making,” said Donna Smith, MD, medical director for clinics and executive co-sponsor of patient experience. “By offering current and prospective patients access to provider ratings and patient comments, they gain insight into what other patient interactions have been like. They can use this information when choosing their health care provider.”
In satisfaction surveys, patients rate physicians and other providers (i.e., physician assistants, advanced registered nurse practitioners) as Very Poor, Poor, Fair, Good or Very Good on these topics:
• Friendliness/courtesy of the provider• Explanations the care provider gave you about your problem/condition• Concern the care provider showed for your questions or worries• Care provider’s efforts to include you in decisions about your treatment• Degree to which the provider talked with you, using words you could understand• Amount of time the care provider spent with you• Your confidence in the provider• Likelihood of your recommending this care provider to others
Ratings and patients’ comments are verified by Press Ganey Associates, an independent company that conducts ongoing satisfaction surveys. Learn more about the new online information: https://www.virginiamason.org/About-Our-Survey
“The majority of our providers consistently receive high ratings from their patients,” Dr. Smith said. “The occasional negative comments are valuable, too, as we strive for continuous improvement to ensure a remarkable experience for our patients.”
The Virginia Mason Patient Relations and Service Department also uses information from the satisfaction surveys to identify and address issues of importance to patients and their families. Virginia Mason is among a few health systems across the U.S. that now post ratings for, and patient comments about, its providers on the Internet. Others include Cleveland Clinic, University of Utah Healthcare, Stanford Healthcare and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
This is the newest of several programs Virginia Mason has launched to ensure current and potential patients have access to valuable information to guide their health care decisions. Other recent initiatives include: implementing the Patient Cost Estimator, which offers comprehensive estimates of out-of-pocket costs for numerous medical exams and procedures; posting online the estimated prices of the 100 most common outpatient surgical procedures; and enabling Virginia Mason patients to see clinical notes about their care on the secure, online patient portal, called MyVirginiaMason.org.
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