From Mass General: Patient experience of care in the safety net

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22415288

J Ambul Care Manage. 2012 Apr;35(2):138-48.

Patient experience of care in the safety net: current efforts and challenges.

Zuckerman KE, Wong A, Teleki S, Edgman-Levitan S.

Source

Division of General Pediatrics and Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland (Dr Zuckerman); Stoeckle Center for Primary Care Innovation, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts (Mss Wong and Edgman-Levitan); and California HealthCare Foundation, Oakland, formerly RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California (Dr Teleki).

Abstract

Measuring patient experience of care fosters the delivery of patient-centered services and increases health care quality. Mostpay-for-performance and public reporting programs focus on care provided to insured populations, excluding the uninsured. Using qualitative research methods, we interviewed leaders of California safety-net practices to assess how they measure patient experience of care and the measurement barriers they encounter. Most had unmet needs for assistance with data collection and quality improvement strategies for their patient population. Tailored measurement and quality improvement resources, coupled with policy mandates to give all patients a voice, would improve the quality of patient-centered care in safety-net organizations.