So we recently had this big meeting where we had to trained in Excellence, because our Press Gainey scores had dropped and the hospitals overall star rating dropped one point. So as I was going through the PG questions, my blood was boiling, there were 3 questions for the doctors – with answers from always to mostly to sometimes to never, and none of those questions were practical.
– has your doctor treated you with respect
– has your doctor explained to you what was going on
– has your doctor listened carefully to you
I mean most of these questions will be answered in "mostly". Atleast 5-10 doctors see a patient from ED to discharge, more if you need consultants. Not all of them will sit down and talk to all of patients all the time.
Here is my problem –
– If you ask stupid questions, you get stupid answers
– The surveys are sent out "randomly" (yeah right !)
– If there is a readmission the surveys arent sent to the same person in a short period of time
– most of the people who write reviews and surveys are either extremely grateful or extremely pissed off.
– Even if all the doctors are doing everything right all the time, but if a patient has a bad experience due to delayed pain medication or a cold soup, guess how will he or she review the entire questionnaire
– there is something called as "survey fatigue". yesterday, i got a t shirt, at the checkout, there was a damn survey, anytime i shop online, there is a survey, visit a new website and chat with an agent, there is a survey. so either people stop answering or answer rudely
– due to cost cutting, hospitals nation wide and now sending only one letter, instead of 2 letters sent per pt like in the past or just switching to phone calls based PG.
I mean it makes me think that how much money this PG makes, when it has contracts with atleast 3000 hospitals in the US and each hospital sends out atleast 10,000 letters annually. all by just composing 20 stupid questions with little or no validation or practical uses.
I mean I can walk with a syringe full of poison towards my patient and inject it and I will get 5 stars if I do it while sitting down and with a smile.
DUCK !
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