Statewide Patient Experience Survey (PES)

(2006 - Present)

What We Did:

For more than a decade, MHQP has helped healthcare provider groups in Massachusetts hear from patients through one of our most powerful tools, the Statewide Patient Experience Survey (PES). This time-tested and valued instrument captures feedback from a large sample of adult and pediatric patients across the state. MHQP has been a leader in measuring patients’ experiences across the state since 2005, when we released our first Patient Experience Survey (PES) report. We are the only independent organization in Massachusetts to survey and publicly report information about the patient experience.

The survey asks patients how well their doctor communicates with them, coordinates care, and knows them as an individual. The survey also asks about access to and timeliness of care, the quality of care from other office staff, and the patient’s willingness to recommend the doctor’s office to others.  Developed in partnership with the Health Institute at New England Medical Center, MHQP’s Patient Experience Survey is a precursor to the CAHPS Clinician Group survey, which is recognized as the national standard for the measurement of patients’ ambulatory care experiences.

MHQP publishes results each year for sites with three or more providers on healthcarecompassma.org.

We continue to explore new approaches and methods to improve the patient experience survey.

Who Is Involved:

The survey is supported by health plans, provider organizations, and state agencies that are committed to supporting patient- and family-centered care.

Why This Work Matters:

Over the past decade, there has been increased awareness about the importance of patient-centeredness as a core pillar of high quality health care delivery. Measurement and accountability for patients’ experiences of care have been at the forefront in guiding quality improvement efforts.

Across the country, healthcare providers have been working to make care more patient-centered by empowering patients and families to partner with providers in healthcare decision-making. Developing a deep understanding of patients’ experience is a critically important driver of improvement success in this environment.

Surveying patients is a salient opportunity to learn about their perspective of the care delivered.  In fact, patient experience surveys are designed to ask questions about aspects of care in which the patient is the best and only source of information. Research shows that patient experience correlates to clinical quality processes, patient adherence to treatment, and better health outcomes.

Patients have a story to tell, and for practices dedicated to quality improvement, hearing patient feedback in the form of meaningful and actionable data can drive measurable improvements in the care provided. Patients can use the survey results to start a conversation with their doctor about the care they receive or use the results when they are choosing a new doctor’s office.

Since MHQP started reporting statewide patient experience survey results, patient reports of their experiences have improved across all domains of the care experience.

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