While the goal of practice transformation is the improvement of patient care and patient outcomes, patient and staff satisfaction (including issues regarding provider burnout) must not be lost in the process. The Clinician & Group Survey of the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems assesses patient experiences with health care providers and staff in doctors’ offices. Survey results can be used to improve care provided by individual providers, sites of care, medical groups, or provider networks, as well as equip consumers with information they can use to choose physicians and other health care providers, physician practices, or medical groups. The survey includes standardized questionnaires for adults and children. The adult questionnaire can be used in both primary care and specialty care settings; the child questionnaire is designed for primary care settings but could be adapted for specialty care. Users can also add supplemental items to customize their questionnaires.
For many practices, working with a practice facilitator will be a big part of the transformation. Practice facilitation is an evidence-based approach to quality improvement in primary care practices. It will be discussed at length next month. In addition, in July and August, we will discuss optimizing health information technology and workflow in your practice.
Dr. Genevro is a health scientist at AHRQ. Dr. Ganiats is the director of the National Center for Excellence in Primary Care Research at AHRQ.