What are the best ways to communicate patient satisfaction scores to physicians?

I agree that the most important thing that we can do as clinical leaders is to explain the “why” to our colleagues. Physicians are facing increasing workloads, yet equally facing expectations to have the best outcomes, along with perfect patient satisfaction scores. As stress mounts and burn out becomes increasing real, physicians may throw their hands up in frustration. Supportive discussions with physicians thus becomes paramount. Clinical leaders must start by learning to listen to physicians’ concerns. Then help physicians understand why we need to be more efficient in our work and more effective in our communications, be it with patients and families, or colleagues. Teach the “why” —and the “how” will happen more naturally!

Well here is the crux of the matter. In order for physicians to align with feedback of this nature they need to align with the purpose of it. I would suggest that "patient satisfaction" is framed very consumer-ish which will always be off-putting. We do want to know how patients and families experience the care we provide. I would suggest that all data is presented in aggregate. The experience in total is being evaluated, not the physician. And if this is data is being collected, the solutions should be systemic.

Patient satisfaction scores and patient outcomes are two wholly different things. People practice medicine to provide health care not sell it with a side of fries. These scores are the epitome of why the medical crisis exist today. A patient may give a poor score for not getting an antibiotic for a viral infection or not getting a medicine that could harm them that they feel they need. The doc or PA with time constraints doesn’t have time to educate the patient as to why and both are left feeling bad about the visit. The paradigm of patient as consumer needs to change.

Obsessive measurement disorder is outlined well by Sullivan in his review of Muellers book. In health care there are serious problems with patient satisfaction. Many patients have expectations that are contrary with good practice - such as antibiotics for colds. Patient satisfaction focus defeats good practice. There are many such examples. When events happen, your supervising physician must make a full investigation and be willing to explain the situation and defend the work of the physician when appropriate. Multiple times a patient protest has gone to those up the loop, who do not have the full story and can demand action. Your immediate superior knows, but can be unable or unwilling to act.

I published an article in January 2010 “The key to a successful physician and hospital relationships? In a word, balance”, in the Journal of Healthcare Contracting. I cover in one section What Physicians need to hear.

Setting the frame is super important. "Here is our data as an organization, we recognize this data reflects an evaluation of the system as a whole, of which you are one small part" then present the dashboard. Physicians are smart people and may be able to spot patterns or share insight into day to day conditions that bring new great ideas to the table. If you set a frame that they are responsible for this data (either causing it or needing to fix it) I don't think they will be as receptive to viewing the data.

Es la base del ciclo de mejora de la calidad y de la satisfacción profesional. Siempre deben Ser comentarios que busquen la mejora y no la destrucción

The only question to be asked is what conditions allowed this to occur. Either positive or negative. Every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets. Dispassionate observation is best.

After receiving a service award given to few, I thought it was about special efforts working with my team over the past months and year. When I found out it was about 10 minutes of stellar work with a physician - I questioned the award and the ability of my employer to properly assess my work. When patients have had issues there has been some need for learning on my part and correction, but most of the time my supervisor needed to support me. And it bothers me greatly that month after month patients have positive comments that have never been mentioned in numerous interactions and communications. I do not check these but my colleagues have reported these to me.

Using accurate data to identify top performers in patient experience is essential to building collaboration and peer support. Additionally, the health systems, clinics, and IPAs that leveraged provider recognition programs, established physician advisory councils for peer education, targeted reports, and practice specific strategies were adept at building strong peer learning cultures. Physicians who participated in these councils were compensated for their time and had a de facto peer group for support. Finally, newsletters or websites highlighting performance improvement and top performing providers also allowed underperforming peers opportunities to independently connect with peers to discuss best practices.

Absolutely the best way to go about this! We all have strengths and weaknesses, and we can learn from each other. Having an open conversation with your group/colleagues and sharing things you do really well and learning from the successes of your colleagues is a great way to not only collectively improve as a group, but also helps build camaraderie. At the same time, sharing personal stories/anecdotes about how certain things directly affected a patient or a family member can also help develop a shared sense of purpose and drive adoption of the techniques/ideas shared.

Instead of simply giving physicians patient satisfaction scores as instructions, engaging them in a conversation or discussion can bring significant benefits. Encouraging physicians to express their insights, opinions, and questions about the scores establishes a collaborative environment. This method not only recognizes the physicians' expertise but also gives them a feeling of ownership in the entire process.

Asking physician leaders to present satisfaction scores to their peer colleagues is helpful. The physician leader who presents becomes a mentor to his/her colleagues while also building their knowledge and skills for patient satisfaction. A win win approach!

Setting realistic goals for physicians is crucial, particularly in the contemporary landscape where many practitioners are part of larger organizations. A significant portion of the patient experience often extends beyond their immediate control. This includes navigating the intricacies from the initiation of a referral process to the hurdles associated with payer-related prior authorizations, all the way to the communication gaps between centralized and local teams.

To foster meaningful improvements, feedback from patients should be strategically focused. Emphasizing areas that physicians can directly impact in their individual interactions becomes paramount. By concentrating on the expertise and patient-centered aspects within their control, physicians can tailor their efforts towards tangible changes that enhance the overall patient experience within the scope of their influence. This approach not only ensures more achievable objectives but also promotes a more satisfying and impactful healthcare journey for both patients and physicians alike.

The right way to engage providers about survey results is in a follow-up conversation to this which began long before surveys were conducted. The process should be a partnership with providers.