At UAMS, we value the partnerships with our patients and their families /care partners. We are committed to providing you with information you need to make informed decisions about your health care, and about the physicians and other providers who partner with you. As part of this commitment, we post our physicians’ patient satisfaction ratings and comments online.
To assist you, the following information is provided to help patients, families /care partners and those considering appointments with UAMS physicians understand how we capture and report our patient satisfaction ratings.
About Our Survey
UAMS is focused on providing an exceptional experience in every care interaction. To ensure we are holding ourselves to the highest standards, we partner with National Research Corporation (NRC)– a leading independent patient satisfaction company. We measure all aspects of patient satisfaction, and all ratings are submitted by verified actual patients. National Research Corporation also provides the technology to display ratings and comments on our physician profile pages. Star ratings are reported from one to five stars, with five being the best.
Who receives the survey?
The survey is emailed or mailed to randomly selected UAMS patients within a few days following their appointments. Patients are asked to complete the survey and provide comments regarding specific aspects of care. We use this feedback to improve and enhance the care we offer.
Do you post all comments?
UAMS is committed to transparency. That means posting all relevant feedback – both positive or negative. However, we do not post comments that are libelous, profane, or those that risk the privacy of our patients. Every provider rating is published regardless of comment status.
What questions do we ask?
UAMS utilizes the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Clinician and Group Practice survey, which was developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality for use in hospitals and medical practices across the country. The surveys ask patients to evaluate how well their physician communicated, listened, and showed courtesy and respect toward them. Results are used to evaluate patients’ overall perception of care and to identify areas for improvement.
We calculate our star ratings based on responses to the below questions from the CG-CAHPS survey.
Physician Communication Questions
- Did this provider explain things in a way that was easy to understand?
- Did this provider listen carefully to you?
- Did this provider give you easy to understand instructions about taking care of these health problems or concerns?
- Did this provider seem to know the important information about your medical history?
- Did this provider show respect for what you had to say?
- Did this provider spend enough time with you?
Overall Rating Question
- Using any number from 0 to 10, where 0 is the worst provider possible and 10 is the best provider possible, what number would you use to rate this provider?
Why don’t we see patient ratings and comments for every doctor?
Industry best practice is clear that more data provides a more accurate picture. That’s why we require a minimum of 30 completed patient surveys per doctor before we post a physician’s rating. Over time, with more surveys received on an ongoing basis, the number of rated physicians will increase.
A physician’s rating will only be posted on the site when he /she has a minimum of 30 completed surveys.
Can anyone complete a survey or post a comment about a physician?
No. Only patients having an outpatient visit by a UAMS physician may be selected to receive a survey. The results are based entirely from patients who have actually been treated by the physician.
How is patient information protected?
Patient names are not displayed through online ratings and commentary reviews. All personally identifiable information is removed prior to display.
Why post patient comments about the physician?
- We want our patients to be empowered with a range of information, including ratings and credentials, to choose the best physician for their needs.
- We are honored by the trust placed in us by our patients and their family members. The relationship between our physicians and patients is a vital element in ensuring satisfaction and positive outcomes. For this reason, we offer patients and the community meaningful feedback provided by prior patients.
- Patients increasingly want to be more involved in their care, and that starts with us being transparent by providing information that patients want and need.
Physician Ratings – Exclusion Criteria
UAMS is committed to transparency. That means posting all relevant feedback – both positive or negative. However, we do not post comments that are libelous, profane, or those that risk the privacy of our patients. Every provider rating is published regardless of comment status.
Exclusion Criteria
- PHI — Any patient-identifiable information, such as a name, date, age, unique condition, location, or any other identifier, will be removed and replaced with [brackets].
- Libelous/Slanderous — A false statement that is damaging to a person’s reputation or a comment that indicates someone acted unethically or dishonestly.
- Profanity.
- Irrelevant – A comment that is not relevant to care or UAMS services; this can include: a) misinformation; b) referring to another person by name; depending on the comment, irrelevant information may be deleted.
- Inaccurate — A comment which is clearly inaccurate or untrue as substantiated through policies or evidence.