Quality Field Notes: How to Build a Sustainable Patient Experience Program

Quality Field Notes features key lessons learned by regional Alliances of clinicians, patients, and payers in Aligning Forces for Quality communities as they work to transform local health care and provide models for national reform. The latest topic in this series focuses on patient experience. Patient experience surveys, particularly those that use validated questions such as the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Clinician & Group Surveys (CG-CAHPS®), give providers feedback on patients’ office visits. Practices can then take specific steps to improve the care experience.

Two case studies highlight lessons learned from two Aligning Forces for Quality communities:

In Greater Boston, the Massachusetts Health Quality Partners have worked with Consumer Reports to publish patient experience survey data on Massachusetts health care providers.

In Minnesota, Minnesota Community Measurement found technology helped improve practices and increase patient experience results.

The entire suite of materials, including an issue brief, case studies, resource guide and an interview with Lester Hartman, MD, MPH, from Greater Boston, is available on the RWJF site here.