Ambulatory Care
Access to Care
What are we measuring?
Bundled in the Access to Care score are the responses to the particular questions of:
- Ease of getting clinic on the phone
- Convenience of our office hours
- Ease of scheduling your appointment
- Courtesy of registration staff
Score reflects the percent of time that patients answered "Very Good."
Why is this important?
Responses to these questions help us understand your access and our responsiveness both before and after a visit. These measures provide insight into this unique part of the patient experience and combined with other satisfaction measures, help us identify opportunities for improvement.
What does our performance tell us?
The chart below shows how BIDMC's performance compares to a large national database as well as a custom comparative database of other 'like' academic medical centers in the eastern U.S. Look for big differences in the scores. Small differences may not be statistically significant." 
Source of comparison data: Press Ganey National Database Participants (n=702 sites) and Press Ganey Custom Comparative Database Participants (n=51 sites)
At BIDMC, over 3,100 patients responded to the survey during the 1st Quarter of FY13 period and 62% of them responded "very good" when asked to comment on their satisfaction of Access to Care. A custom comparative database of 'like' academic medical centers in the eastern U.S. reports that 64% of patients respond "very good" to the same questions during the same period. A national database reports that 63% of patients respond "very good" to the same questions during the same time period.
What are we doing to improve?
In reviewing patient survey responses and comments, patients recognize and appreciate BIDMC's efforts to improve promptness, courtesy, and ease in which clinic appointments are scheduled. BIDMC continues to expand its program among ambulatory practices to improve the quality, helpfulness and promptness of telephone and waiting room staff. By engaging a team of "mystery shoppers", we provide prompt feedback to our staff to improve their responsiveness and ability to provide efficient and patient-focused assistance at every interaction.
Mystery shopping data has also been used to measure and improve appointment wait times. Participating practices have reduced wait times for new patients by 10 business days since the inception of the program and now routinely offer care within a week.
Information about Waits & Delays During Your Visit
What are we measuring?
Bundled in the Visit Experience score are the responses to the particular questions of:
- Length of wait before going to an exam room
- Information about delays
Score reflects the percent of time that patients answered "Very Good".
Why is this important?
Staff from many different areas are dedicated to making your visit at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center the best possible. These questions take into consideration your experience with the promptness of our practice and how well our staff informs you about waits and delays you may have experienced during your visit. These measures provide insight into how effective our efforts to improve this part of the patient experience and, combined with other satisfaction measures, help us identify additional opportunities for improvement.
What does our performance tell us?
The chart below shows how BIDMC's performance compares to a large national database as well as a custom comparative database of other 'like' academic medical centers in the eastern U.S. Look for big differences in the scores. Small differences may not be statistically significant." 
Source of comparison data: Press Ganey National Database Participants (n=702 sites) and Press Ganey Custom Comparative Database Participants (n=51 sites)
At BIDMC, over 3,100 patients responded to the survey during the 1st Quarter of FY13 period and 54% of them responded "very good" when asked to comment on how well we communicate information about waits and delays during their clinic visit. A custom comparative database of 'like' academic medical centers in the eastern U.S. reports that 54% of patients respond "very good" to the same questions during the same period. A national database reports that 53% of patients respond "very good" to the same questions during the same time period.
What are we doing to improve?
In surveys and comments, patients express frustration with longer than anticipated wait times and lack of information about delays. In response to this feedback, many ambulatory practices are piloting methods of systematically informing patients of delays in the waiting room. Some practices, such as OB/GYN and Gastroenterology, consistently update a white board so that patients are apprised of any delays at the moment of check-in. Hematology Oncology assigns a liaison to check in with those waiting every 20 minutes. To reinforce the importance of improving our communication regarding delays, Mystery Shoppers record which departments keep patients informed and share successful methods cross departmentally.
We are also assessing causes for unanticipated waits and delays, particularly in the exam rooms. This year, we will initiate a multi-year efficiency project in partnership with our physician leaders. This effort will start with observation, measurement and experimentation with various interventions in a practice where delays are a significant problem. We will take what we learn from this project to spread improvement to other practices.
Experience with Care Provider
What are we measuring?
Bundled in the Experience with Care Provider score are the responses to the particular questions of:
- Friendliness/courtesy of the care provider
- Explanations the care provider gave you about your problem or condition
- Concern the care provider showed for your questions or worries
- Care provider's efforts to include you in decisions about your treatment
- Information the care provider gave you about medications
- Instructions the care provider gave you about follow-up care
- Degree to which care provider talked with you using words you could understand
- Amount of time the care provider spent with you
- Your confidence in this care provider
- Likelihood of your recommending this care provider to others
Score reflects the percent of time that patients answered "Very Good".
Why is this important?
These questions are not only designed to give us perspective on how we listened and responded to you, but also allow us to understand the quality and quantity of information your care provider shared with you. These measures provide insight into this unique part of the patient experience and combined with other satisfaction measures, help us identify opportunities for improvement.
What does our performance tell us?
The chart below shows how BIDMC's performance compares to a large national database as well as a custom comparative database of other 'like' academic medical centers in the eastern U.S. Look for big differences in the scores. Small differences may not reflect real differences in performance (i.e., they may not be statistically significant)."
Source of comparison data: Press Ganey National Database Participants (n=702 sites) and Press Ganey Custom Comparative Database Participants (n=51 sites).
At BIDMC, over 3,100 patients responded to the survey during the 1st Quarter of FY13 period and 80% of them responded "very good" when asked to comment on their Care Provider Experience. A custom comparative database of 'like' academic medical centers in the eastern U.S. reports that 79% of patients respond "very good" to the same questions during the same period. A national database reports that 78% of patients respond "very good" to the same questions during the same time period.
Teamwork Among Staff
What are we measuring?
The percent of patients responding "Very Good" when asked "How well staff worked together" during their outpatient visit.
Why is this important?
Coordination of your care and the team work of our staff are important to good care. Patients' responses this question give us a broader sense of their experience, and combined with other satisfaction measures, help us identify opportunities for additional improvement.
What does our performance tell us?
The chart below shows how BIDMC's performance compares to a large national database as well as a custom comparative database of other 'like' academic medical centers in the eastern U.S. Look for big differences in the scores. Small differences may not be statistically significant." 
Source of comparison data: Press Ganey National Database Participants (n=702 sites) and Press Ganey Custom Comparative Database Participants (n=51 sites).
At BIDMC, over 3,100 patients responded to the survey during the 1st Quarter of FY13 period and 78% of them responded "very good" when asked to comment on their overall assessment of how well our staff worked together while delivering care in our outpatient clinics. A custom comparative database of 'like' academic medical centers in the eastern U.S. reports that 77% of patients respond "very good" to the same questions during the same period. A national database reports that 76% of patients respond "very good" to the same question during the same time period.
What are we doing to improve?
At BIDMC, we believe that our most precious and powerful resource to drive service excellence to its highest levels are our employees. In 2009, we launched an initiative across all ambulatory clinics and the Emergency Department. Our "Going from Good to Great" program uses experiential training to help frontline staff view their work from a patient's perspective and ensure consistently attentive, efficient, friendly and respectful service. Clinic staff are empowered to proactively address service needs or issues and identify opportunities to make each patient's visit more personable by being attentive to individual needs, sharing information on delays, providing assistance with directions, listening, and in some clinics, providing refreshments during waits.
The "Good to Great" initiative continued in 2012, with 600+ ambulatory and Emergency Department front line staff participating in annual, ongoing training. The training focuses on employee to employee interactions, both within and across departments. The program is designed to reinforce the fact that all BIDMC employees, no matter what department they are in, are united by a commitment to our patients.
Likelihood to Recommend
What are we measuring?
The percent of patients responding to the likelihood of recommending BIDMC for ambulatory care. Score reflects the percent of time that patients answered "Very Good".
Why is this important?
Hospitals typically measure patient satisfaction with ambulatory care by asking a series of questions related to their experience, their caregivers and the environment. BIDMC monitors several key areas including how likely patients would be to recommend the hospital to their friends and family. This measure of satisfaction and loyalty provides insight into the overall patient experience and combined with other satisfaction measures, helps us identify opportunities for improvement.
What does our performance tell us?
The chart below shows how BIDMC's performance compares to a large national database as well as a custom comparative database of other 'like' academic medical centers in the eastern U.S. Look for big differences in the scores. Small differences may not be statistically significant." 
Source of comparison data: Press Ganey National Database Participants (n=702 sites) and Press Ganey Custom Comparative Database Participants (n=51 sites). View our performance over time >>
At BIDMC, over 3,100 patients responded to the survey during the 1st Quarter of FY13 period and 81% of them responded "very good" when asked to comment on what is the likelihood of recommending BIDMC for ambulatory care. A custom comparative database of 'like' academic medical centers in the eastern U.S. reports that 80% of patients respond "very good" to the same questions during the same period. A national database reports that 79% of patients respond "very good" to the same questions during the same time period.
Other Useful Patient Satisfaction Measures
Last updated: April 8, 2013