Hill Health
Center’s Patient Satisfaction Survey
A 249-page report on the Hill Health
Center's Patient Satisfaction Survey has been issued by the Special Projects
Office. Copies have been distributed to
Department supervisors. The report compares overall results with those of
individual departments and sites. Patients'
written comments are also included.
About 2,000 patients participated in the survey. Overall, the Center scored very well.
Executive
Summary
Most survey questions concerned three broad areas: Quality of services, access to services and patient education. This summary only pertains to overall results for all sites combined. Looked at individually, there is wide variation from site to site. It will help to interpret the results to assign the following values to the five grades used to score most responses: A= excellent; B = good; C = average; D = Below average; F = failing. In most cases, HHC scored 75% or higher for A or B. In all, D or F responses amounted to 1 %.
Quality of Services
A series of questions were asked about four health workers - clinician, nurse, medical/dental assistant and receptionist. Generally, at least 90% of patients graded these staff with an A or B. The grades on confidentiality were similarly high. Marks were not as high for the question regarding the "ease of telling the clinician things that are hard to talk about." Patients scored us 87% A or B and 10% C.
Access
Eighty-five percent of patients scored HHC 85% A or B on getting an appointment when needed. In case of urgent care visits, 84% said they had been seen in a reasonable time. Only 66% of patients scored us that high on the wait in the waiting room. And 13% gave us a D or F. The results were the same for the wait in the exam room.
Concerning billing, 81% gave us A or B on the bill being easy to understand. Some 55% of the 1,800 patients surveyed did indicate having received a bill. The grades were similar when we asked patients if the sliding fee scale was explained to them.
Can a patient telephone a provider and talk to him/her the same day? Seventy-nine percent gave us A or B. Concerning ease of getting services after hours or weekends, 73% scored HHC A or B. Patients generally liked clinic operating hours, with 84% scoring them A or B. Asked if they had ever been turned away for any reason, 29% said Yes. Does our front desk staff ask about changes in address, insurance, etc? Seventy-five percent said Yes.
Patient transportation, provided by contract with the Community Action Agency, received scores of A or B from 75% of patients. Thirty-five percent of the patients surveyed indicated that they use this door-to-door van service.
Regarding languages, 84% graded us A or B on how well we spoke their language, if not English. Forty-seven percent indicated they did speak a language other than English, mostly Spanish.
Patient Education
Eighty-nine percent of patients scored staff A or B
on teaching them to take care of their health and on the helpfulness
of handouts. Seventy-three percent said Yes,
when asked if the clinician told them to change their health habits. And 85% of patients gave themselves scores of
A or B on following provider/nurse instructions, while 86%
scored themselves A or B on returning for a scheduled
follow-up appointment.
Managed Care
Nearly half the patient survey said they belong to a Medicaid managed care plain, and two-thirds of those are CHN members. Asked how they heard about the plan, most said through a friend, relative or health worker.
In ten percent of responses, there was either nothing marked or the mark was not decipherable. Also, 9% marked answers not applicable.