Patients take non-clinical factors of care like compassion, comfort, personality and bedside manner into account when choosing a physician, according to a report by Healthgrades and the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA).
Consumers are increasingly demanding accessibility and transparency from healthcare providers. In this report, which included seven million patient reviews and comments, Healthgrades and MGMA provided an outline to what healthcare consumers want, what they value in care and their feedback on what could improve.
Key report findings included:
- 69 percent of all physician reviews mentioned at least one of the following: compassion, comfort, patience, personality, staff, bedside manner, knowledge, time, insurance, appointments or communication.
- 80 percent of consumers prefer physicians who offer online appointments, even if those appointments are less available.
- Researchers did note that female patients rate their male doctors slightly more favorably than male patients rate female doctors.
- 70 percent of patients rated physician with a five-star review. Ratings of two, three and four stars made up less than 10 percent of the reviews while 22 percent of all surveys were one-star reviews.
- In both positive (32 percent) and negative (25 percent) reviews, patients listed time spent with them, particularly answering their questions, as the most important aspect of their care.
- A patient’s interaction with a physician’s staff was one of the most frequently cited factors in both positive and negative reviews.
“It’s clear from the data what most people already intuitively know: the patient experience extends deeper and further than the walls of a surgical suite or exam room,” said Halee Fischer-Wright, MD, MMM, President and CEO of MGMA. “Our data corroborates the crucial nature of our members’ role in the support of the physician-patient relationship through people, process and technology.”
Cara joined TriMed Media in 2016 and is currently a Senior Writer for Clinical Innovation & Technology. Originating from Detroit, Michigan, she holds a Bachelors in Health Communications from Grand Valley State University.