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October 2007 Anne Ford Pathologists are the physicians most satisfied with their hospitals, according to 2006 survey results released in August in a report titled "Hospital Check-Up Report—Physician Perspectives on American Hospitals." Produced by Press Ganey, a provider of satisfaction measurement and improvement services in the health care industry, the 2007 report summarizes the views of more than 21,000 physicians at 224 U.S. hospitals. Seventy-eight percent of pathologists who responded to the surveys conducted last year reported that they are satisfied with the hospital. Surgeons are among the least satisfied physicians. Of 11 surgical specialties—ophthalmology; plastic, oral, thoracic, general, and neurological surgery; ob/gyn; urology; other surgical specialty; otolaryngology; and orthopedics—eight are below the national mean of 71.8 percent in overall satisfaction. Physicians give hospitals high marks for the quality of patient care they provide, but when it comes to relationships they have with hospital administrators, they're significantly less satisfied. Seventy-six percent of physicians are satisfied with the patient care, and 74 percent with their ease of practice. But 62 percent report being satisfied with their relationship with leaders. "Physician-hospital relations continue to be an ongoing challenge from both the physician and administrator perspectives," the report says. In his introduction to the report (online at www.pressganey.com), Press Ganey president and CEO Melvin Hall, PhD, says hospitals must listen to physicians if they are to fulfill their mission to provide quality care. He writes, "Hospital administrators must be sensitive to the slightest shifts in physician attitudes and needs. These shifts—and the ability of senior leaders to detect and manage them in today's dynamic environment—can make or break the business." Anne Ford is a writer in Chicago. |
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