Advertisement
"We don't know whether politicians listen to their constituents on healthcare issues in order to affect change, but we do know that doctors listen tofeedback from patients and take action to improve the patient experience,"says Dr. Feldman. "And, our research shows that satisfied patients are morelikely to follow their doctors' orders and take the prescribed medications,resulting in better overall patient outcomes and lower health care costs."
Advertisement
Dr. Feldman created DrScore.com, a Web site where patients can rate theirsatisfaction with physicians via anonymous, online surveys. Results are thenprovided to participating physicians on a monthly basis highlighting bothnegative and positive feedback. According to research findings collectedthrough DrScore.com and published in the journal "Medical PracticeManagement," patients express the greatest dissatisfaction when long waittimes in the lobby are combined with doctors not spending enough time withthem.
"The detailed reports allow doctors to 'drill down' into the data todetermine ways to improve their patient care," Dr. Feldman explains. "Thisfeedback includes everything from their experience in the lobby to finaltreatment. Negative feedback is a real gift because it helps doctors do whatthey ultimately want to do most, which is please their patients and give themgreat medical care. But positive feedback is important, too, because itvalidates what doctors are doing right."
By enabling patients to give specific, detailed feedback to their doctorsand providing doctors with the data needed to act on that information, theDrScore Web site creates a continual improvement process that results in moresatisfied patients who in turn follow their doctors' orders -- whichultimately results in improved health care and reduced costs.
"Good medicine is about much more than just giving the patient the rightdiagnosis and the right treatment," Dr. Feldman says. "If Americans throughoutthe country will provide patient feedback -- good and bad -- that is one veryimmediate way to help improve U.S. health care."
Photos and interviews with Dr. Steve Feldman available upon request.
SOURCE DrScore.com
