Health Care Survey Experience

Our survey experience in the health care field includes, by way of example, the design, implementation and administration of:

• Provider Satisfaction Surveys - used as a means of measuring satisfaction among a managed care plan's network of providers.

  Our analytic emphasis is on discovering and communicating where there is "room for improvement" from the perspectives of various providers (including, for example, PCPs and specialists).

• Member Satisfaction Surveys - used as a means of measuring plan members' satisfaction with specific providers.

  We work with certified CAHPS vendors and receive data from them for subsequent analysis. As with our provider satisfaction survey work, we do more than simply report the numbers - we analyze them and draw inferences/conclusions from them as appropriate.

• Readership Surveys - used to determine an organization's most frequently read publications and to receive feedback on publication content.

  Sample publications might include member guide/handbooks, provider directories and open enrollment materials. Analyses are provided of specific topics, including overall readability of the publication, perceived value of the information provided, favorite columns or subject areas, etc.

• Disenrollment Surveys - used to determine the reason(s) that members voluntarily leave their health care plan and to provide the plan with information that may be used to reduce both member turnover and administrative expenses.

  Reasons examined include dissatisfaction with the plan coverage, plan cost, employer changes in coverages offered and in their contributions, changes in the provider network, problems with individual providers, etc.

• Provider Availability and 24-Hour Access Surveys - required of some Medicaid managed care plans (for example, the New York State Department of Health) and which involve telephoning plan providers to determine whether they are in compliance with state and county appointment availability and access standards.

  Provider availability for a number of appointment types is tested and analyzed, as is access to providers on a continuous 24-hour basis. Among the appointment types tested for provider compliance are baseline physicals, routine/preventive medicine, urgent medical, 1st and 2nd trimester prenatal visits and non-urgent behavioral health.