DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Healthgrades, the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals, and Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), the premier association for professionals who lead medical practices, today released the results of an unprecedented analysis of almost 7 million patient reviews. The analysis is the largest of-its-kind, and reveals what patients say about their doctor after an appointment. The analysis found that:
- Overall, patients cite non-clinical factors as being important in their experience with a provider. More than 50% mention at least one of these factors: compassion, comfort, patience, personality and bedside manner. And almost one quarter (23%) of comments mention at least one of these factors: knowledge, time, insurance, appointment scheduling and communication.
- There is not a significant difference in how patients rate their physician by gender, though female patients rate their male doctor slightly more favorably than male patients who rate their female doctor.
- In all of the nearly 7 million submitted star ratings on Healthgrades, patient feedback about their doctor is overwhelmingly positive, and the average star rating for a doctor is 4-stars.
- In both positive and negative open-comment reviews, patients place top importance on the time a provider spent with them, particularly as an indicator of the doctor’s willingness to answer questions, listen to concerns, and make sure patients fully understood their condition or procedure.
- Of the attributes most commonly mentioned in a review, the topic cited most frequently in both a positive or negative review is the interaction that the patient has with a doctor’s staff.
“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. Our data corroborates the crucial nature of our members role in the support of the physician-patient relationship through people, process and technology,” said Dr. Halee Fischer-Wright, MD, MMM, President and CEO of MGMA.
“The results of this analysis reflect that patients don’t just want to see a doctor; they want to be seen,” said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Healthgrades. “Knowing how these factors influence the patient experience gives providers the opportunity to better serve these personal aspects of care, resulting in a healthier overall population.”
Healthgrades.com has nearly 7 million published reviews and ratings of doctors by patients. Consumers can use Healthgrades to search profiles of more than 1.1 million physicians, including doctors in all specialties and sub-specialties nationwide. In addition to this new analysis, Healthgrades recently released its inaugural National Health Index, a list of 25 U.S. cities where patients, providers and hospitals are getting healthcare right.
Read the complete analysis.
About Healthgrades
Healthgrades is dedicated to empowering stronger and more meaningful connections between patients and their healthcare providers. At www.healthgrades.com, we help millions of consumers a month to find and schedule appointments with their provider of choice. With our scheduling solutions and advanced analytics applications, we help more than 500 hospitals across the country to cultivate new patient relationships, improve patient access, and build customer loyalty. At Healthgrades, better health gets a head start.
About MGMA
Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) is the premier association for professionals who lead medical practice. Since 1926, through data, people, insights, and advocacy, MGMA empowers medical group practices to innovate and create meaningful change in healthcare. With a membership of more than 40,000 medical practice administrators, executives, and leaders, MGMA represents more than 12,500 organizations of all sizes, types, structures and specialties that deliver almost half of the healthcare in the United States.
