The American Medical Association (AMA) and Press Ganey Associates are collaborating to provide physicians with a new web-based tool for measuring patient satisfaction. The intent is to boost care and lower costs, say AMA executives.
RealTime collects and evaluates patient feedback and provides information to help physicians improve their practices and better meet the needs of their patients.
By providing patients with a way to offer feedback on their office experiences in an electronic survey format, RealTime delivers instant information that physicians can use to reduce wait times, improve patient communication, enhance the appearance of a practice and manage the courtesy and friendliness of staff, according to the AMA.
"Supporting physicians with innovative tools that promote quality and efficiency is a priority for the AMA," said AMA Board Member Barbara L. McAneny, MD. "Our collaboration with Press Ganey allows physicians to monitor the pulse of a busy practice with an easy means of capturing constructive patient feedback. This information is critical to understanding patients' needs, enhancing the quality of care and maximizing resources in a hectic medical practice."
The new application uses an electronic survey developed uniquely for the AMA initiative. It generates a series of reports including summaries, trends and comparisons of de-identified patient survey results. Participating physicians can identify drivers of satisfaction, analyze profiles of their most satisfied patients and create blinded comparisons to other physician practices. Physicians will also receive access to practice improvement webinars and materials from the AMA's Practice Management Center.
"Electronic surveys are proven to work, and the results are empowering," said Patricia Riskind, senior vice president of medical services at Press Ganey. "Our web-based application will provide real-time feedback that helps our physician clients improve patient satisfaction today."
AMA members will be able to purchase the patient satisfaction tool at special introductory rate.
