Interesting article in Patient Engagement HIT relating to the recently released report from Vanguard Communications which found online provider review scores do not always match up to traditional hospital quality rankings. These results highlight a significant gap in perception of hospital quality for patients and healthcare professionals, the report suggested. What some industry professionals may regard as top-notch care may not be meeting patient expectations. This divergence could be the result of different healthcare priorities. Online provider reviews usually relate to subjective patient experience and other patient satisfaction anecdotes, the Vanguard report noted. Eighty-four percent of the online reviews included in the report pertained to non-clinical factors such as billing issues, poor phone answering or follow-up care, and extraordinary wait periods to see a doctor. Very few complaints related to clinical quality, the report showed. It will be important for healthcare professionals to consider all reports of quality care. While reports like those from US News & World Report may offer a glimpse into clinical quality nationwide, online provider reviews can offer insights into the patient experience that can also direct practice improvement initiatives.
Read more: