UAMS Posting Patient Ratings Of Physicians Online

UAMS has become Arkansas’ first medical center to display patient ratings and comments on its website, the hospital has announced.

At UAMShealth.com/ratings, physicians are rated from one to five stars, with five being the highest rating.

The ratings come from verified patients surveyed after seeing a physician in an outpatient setting.

UAMS is posting both positive and negative feedback but said in a press release that it will not post comments that are libelous or profane or that risk patient privacy.

Survey participants evaluate their physicians 0-10 on whether or not he or she explained things well, listened carefully, gave easy-to-understand instructions, knew the patient’s medical history, showed respect, and spent enough time with them. The ratings will be posted once a physician has at least 30 surveys.

Currently, 44 physicians are rated. The average rating is 4.73 out of 5, with three doctors receiving perfect scores of “5” and the lowest scoring 4.3. Most comments are positive, as in one that wrote, “Dr. (James) Suen is an absolute treasure!! He has been a gentleman in every way and I appreciate him tremendously.”

But a few are negative. One patient wrote, “He did not run any tests or help me in any way. It was a wasted two hour road trip and waste of money.”

The hospital uses the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Clinician and Group Practice survey. That survey was developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality for use nationally.

The hospital is working with National Research Corporation, an independent patient satisfaction company. NRC provides patient responses and comments to the hospital, which will use the results to improve patient experiences.

In a press release, UAMS Chancellor Dan Rahn, M.D., said, “The medical center has been surveying patients for years, but we now are making this information available to the public.”

The press release said UAMS will be one of the first hospitals in the nation to display patient ratings and comments about physicians on its website.