Readership Research Report
Consumer Reports National Research Center: Consumer Insight Group
Special Report Impact Report: “How Does Your Doctor Compare?”
(CR insert for Massachusetts Subscribers, July 2012)
Source: Special Survey of Consumer Reports subscribers residing in Massachusetts
Joanne Kane
August 2012
Introduction
The Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center (CRHRC) and the Massachusetts Health Quality
Partners (MHQP) published a Special Health Insert in the July 2012 issue of Consumer Reports.
The Special Health Insert included Massachusetts Physician Group Ratings and was distributed to
subscribers living in Massachusetts. A grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded
the project, including a survey to measure the readership and impact of the Special Health Insert.
This report summarizes responses to that survey (see Appendix A for the survey).
Sample Characteristics and Methodology
We sent the survey to 8,750 subscribers to Consumer Reports magazine. Subscribers had to both
live in Massachusetts and have a valid email addresses on file to be selected for the survey. The
survey launched on June 25, 2012 at noon to 500 subscribers. The remaining 8,250 subscribers
received the survey at 3 pm. Subscribers received a brief email inviting them to complete a
survey (see Appendix B). Those subscribers who did not complete the survey within a week were
sent a reminder email on Monday, July 2, 2012 inviting them to complete the survey. Subscribers
who still failed to complete the survey were sent a final reminder on Friday, July 13, 2012. The
survey was closed about a month later on August 16, 2012. A total of 707 subscribers (about 8%
of the original sample) responded to the survey.
Subscribers who opened the email and the survey link received a message from John Santa
welcoming them to take the survey and informing them that it was possible to skip any questions
they preferred not to answer, but also informing them that having complete information from each
subscriber was most useful to the researchers. In exchange for their participation, subscribers
were offered an opportunity to enter a drawing for a complimentary extension of their
subscription to Consumer Reports Magazine.
Respondents ranged in age from 27 to 94 years old. Their mean age was 67 years (sd = 15), and
the median age was also 67. Thirty percent of the sample was female (and 70% male)1. About
half (54%) of respondents indicated that either they or their spouse was retired.
Most (83%) of the respondents had completed college. More than half of those who had
completed college (57%) had also completed a graduate program. Ten percent had completed
high school, and five percent had completed technical or vocational school.
The chart on the next page indicates that respondents’ annual household income is relatively high.
Nearly half of the respondents reported an annual household income of $100,000 or higher. Only
about 10% of respondents reported an annual household income below $40,000.
1
These percentages are consistent with Jeannie Miller’s ICD report: CR Customer Profiles.xls retrieved from the O:drive on 8/21/2012.
2
Annual Household Income
30
27
25
20
Percent
20
15
14
15
$40k-$59k
$60k-$79k
14
10
10
5
0
<$40k
$80k-$99k
$100k-$149k
>=$150k
Almost a quarter (23%) of subscribers to Consumer Reports Magazine (CR) in this sample also
subscribe to Consumer Reports on Health (CRoH) newsletter. According to the most recent
database information2, only about 9% of CR subscribers also subscribe to CRoH, suggesting some
self-selection bias in this sample; CR subscribers generally more interested in health (as evinced
by their subscription to a health-focused newsletter) seem more likely to have completed this
health-related survey than CR subscribers generally less interested in health (non-subscribers to
CRoH).
Importance of physician group quality information
We asked respondents to evaluate the importance of physician group quality information. Ninetythree percent of subscribers reported that physician group quality information was at least
somewhat important to them: 33% percent indicated that this type of information was “extremely
important,” 43% indicated that the information was “very important,” and 17% indicated that the
information was “somewhat important.”
Eight percent said physician group quality information was either “not very important” (5%) or
“not at all important” (2%).
Prior interest and information-seeking
Sixty-six percent of subscribers reported that physician group quality was something they had
wondered about or researched before receiving the July issue of Consumer Reports. Of those
who reported prior interest, half had used a website to help choose a Massachusetts-based health
provider for themselves or a family member.
2
Jeannie Miller’s ICD report: Cross-Actives 2012-05.xls retrieved from the O:drive on 8/20/2012.
3
Notice of and interest in special insert
Ninety percent of subscribers reported having noticed the special insert in the July 2012
Consumer Reports issue. Nearly everyone who noticed the insert read at least part of it (96%).
The four percent who said they had not read at least part of the insert were asked why not. The
most common reason given (by 55% of the non-readers) was that they had not yet had time,
suggesting that even non-readers were interested in the insert. Twenty-three percent of the nonreaders said they were not interested in the topic, and about 18% said the content was not
applicable to them. Three individuals left comments on the survey with other reasons why they
did not read the insert: one said their doctor was the best he/she had ever had, one said the
magazine was on loan to a friend, and one said that his or her copy of the magazine had not
included the special insert we were asking about.
Prior awareness of Massachusetts Health Quality Partners (MHQP), MHQP website traffic
Most subscribers (80%) were not familiar with Massachusetts Health Quality Partners (MHQP)
before reading the special insert. Sixteen percent of subscribers with no prior awareness of
MHQP reported having visited the MHQP website as a result of reading about the organization in
the insert. Twenty-two percent of subscribers who did have prior awareness of the MHQP
reported visiting the website after reading the insert.
Readership and perceived usefulness of pieces within the insert
We asked respondents to tell us which parts, if any, of the special insert they had read. The
second, “Read” column in the table below indicates the percent of respondents who read a given
within the insert. We asked those respondents who had read a given piece to tell us how useful it
was (columns 3-5). Pieces are listed in the order they appeared in the insert in the table below,
and are listed in descending order of readership on the next page.
Piece
Read
Very
useful
28
Letter from John Santa (p. 2)
22
HOW DOES YOUR DOCTOR COMPARE? We rate
adult, family, and pediatric physician
88
55
groups in the Bay State (pp. 3-8)
EXCELLENCE ACROSS THE BOARD (p. 4)
42
52
HOW PRACTICES CAN IMPROVE (p. 5)
46
54
DON’T GET STUCK IN THE WAITING ROOM
47
43
(p. 6)
PEDIATRIC PRACTICES, BY THE NUMBERS
16
49
(p. 8)
WHAT’S BEHIND THE RATINGS (p. 9)
62
53
RATINGS OF PRACTICES FOR ADULTS (pp.
80
54
10-18)
RATINGS OF PRACTICES FOR CHILDREN (pp.
20
50
19-23)
Note: usefulness scores may not sum to 100% within a row due to rounding.
4
Somewhat
useful
66
Not at all
useful
6
33
11
43
41
5
4
50
7
37
14
42
5
37
9
39
11
Piece
Read
Very
useful
HOW DOES YOUR DOCTOR COMPARE? We rate
adult, family, and pediatric physician
88
55
groups in the Bay State (pp. 3-8)
RATINGS OF PRACTICES FOR ADULTS (pp.
80
54
10-18)
WHAT’S BEHIND THE RATINGS (p. 9)
62
53
DON’T GET STUCK IN THE WAITING ROOM
47
43
(p. 6)
HOW PRACTICES CAN IMPROVE (p. 5)
46
54
EXCELLENCE ACROSS THE BOARD (p. 4)
42
52
Letter from John Santa (p. 2)
22
28
RATINGS OF PRACTICES FOR CHILDREN (pp.
20
50
19-23)
PEDIATRIC PRACTICES, BY THE NUMBERS
16
49
(p. 8)
Note: usefulness scores may not sum to 100% within a row due to rounding.
Somewhat
useful
Not at all
useful
33
11
37
9
42
5
50
7
41
43
66
4
5
6
39
11
37
14
I compared the youngest quartile of readers (younger than 58) to the oldest quartile of readers
(older than 74) and found significant differences in the expected direction: 32.5% of youngest
respondents read the “Pediatric practices, by the numbers piece” whereas only 15% of the oldest
respondents read the piece, χ2(1) =9.49, p<.05. The same pattern of results emerges for the
“Ratings of practices for children” piece.
Respondents’ use of and reactions to the Ratings Tables
We asked those respondents who said they had read at least one of the two Ratings pieces
(Ratings of practices for adults and/or Ratings of practices for children) whether they had
attempted to look up Ratings information for their doctor’s practice site. Eighty-two percent of
readers had done so. Of those 82% who had sought out their own provider’s information, 74%
were successful in finding their doctor’s practice site within the Ratings. Of those who found
their doctor’s practice site within the Ratings, most (78%) said they were not surprised by the
Ratings. Respondents who were surprised generally felt Ratings were too low: most of these
respondents (82%) said they would have given “much higher” or “somewhat higher” ratings.
Eighteen percent said they would have given somewhat lower ratings. No participants reported
that they would have given much lower ratings.
We asked subscribers whether they planned to discuss their doctor’s practice site Ratings with
their doctor. Twenty-six percent of respondents said they planned to do so, 31% said they did not
plan to discuss the Ratings, and 43% reported that they were not sure.
Subscribers were invited to share their thoughts on the measures used to evaluate the practice site
Ratings. In the first of two questions related to the measures of patient experience, subscribers
were asked to select the single most important factor in selecting a doctor. See the table on the
next page for the percentage of respondents who identified a given measure as the most important
one in selecting a doctor.
5
Measure
How well the doctor communicates with patients
How well the doctor gives preventative care and advice
How well the doctor knows his or her patients
Whether patients would recommend the doctor to others
Whether patients received timely appointments, care and
information
Whether patients get courteous and respectful help from the
office staff.
Percentage
33
21
19
17
10
<1
The second question related to measures of patient experience was similar, except rather than
asking subscribers to select the single most important factor in selecting a doctor, we asked
subscribers to rank order all six of the measures. See the table below for the average rankordering. Note the results for the two questions related to measures of patient experience are very
similar: there is only one reversal between “How well the doctor gives preventative care and
advice” and “How well the doctor knows his or her patients” when respondents use ranks.
Measure
How well the doctor communicates with patients
How well the doctor knows his or her patients
How well the doctor gives preventative care and advice
Whether patients would recommend the doctor to others
Whether patients received timely appointments, care and
information
Whether patients get courteous and respectful help from the
office staff.
Rank Order
1
2
3
4
5
6
Respondents were invited to leave additional suggestions for performance measures in an openended response item. Some suggested measures included: accessibility for appointments and
communications, accuracy and competence, coordination of care, disciplinary action and lawsuits,
whether doctors listen to patients, other doctors’ opinions, and patient outcomes (including
death). See Appendix C for the open-ended comments respondents made (unedited), and
Appendix D for the same comments edited and categorized.
Attitude change and behavioral intentions
Respondents were asked whether they felt better, roughly the same, or worse about the general
state of health care in Massachusetts. A quarter (25%) felt better after having read the insert, 67%
felt roughly the same and 3% felt worse. Five percent said they were not sure.
We hypothesized that subscribers who read the “Ratings of practices for adults” piece would be
more likely to say they planned to change providers within the next six months than subscribers
who had not read that piece. We did not specify a causal pathway: individuals considering a
change could be more likely to check the Ratings and research alternative doctors, or individuals
who happened to read the Ratings could be more likely to consider a change, or both. We did not
find a significant difference in intentions to change doctors between individuals who read the
piece (6%) and individuals who did not (4%), χ2(1) <1, n/s. Readership of the Ratings pieces was
not associated with intentions to change doctors. The factors that did predict intentions to change
6
providers were age, gender, and the interaction between age and gender (F(3, 468) = 9.75,
p<.001); younger people and women (young women, in particular) were more likely to express
intentions to change providers.
We asked respondents who said that they had read the “How does your doctor compare?” piece
(which contained strategies for receiving better care from doctors) whether the recommendations
in the piece would influence what the reader planned to say or do during future medical
appointments. Thirty-nine percent said that the recommendations would change their behavior,
43% said the recommendations might change their behavior, and 17% said that the
recommendations would not change their behavior.
Demographic differences
I tested for demographic differences based on age and gender throughout the survey. Except
where noted above in the discussion of readership of pieces focused on pediatricians and in the
discussion of intentions to change medical providers, I failed to find statistically significant
demographic differences based on age or gender.
Summary and Conclusion
Respondents to this survey of Massachusetts subscribers were largely representative of Consumer
Reports Magazine subscribers in general. The “typical” subscriber was a 67-year-old retired man
who was well-educated and fairly affluent. Respondents in this sample were more likely to
subscribe to Consumer Reports on Health – a health-focused newsletter from the publisher of
Consumer Reports Magazine. Not surprisingly, perhaps, subscribers who opted in to this healthrelated survey seem more interested in health than our typical subscribers. I found few significant
differences based on age or gender in my analyses of the survey responses.
Nearly all respondents reported that physician group quality information was at least somewhat
important to them, and nearly all respondents had read at least one of the pieces in the special
insert.
Relatively few respondents were familiar with the Massachusetts Health Quality Partners before
seeing the insert. The insert drove some traffic to the MHQP website; about 18% of subscribers
overall reported visiting the site as a result of reading about the organization in the insert.
The two top-read pieces within the insert were “How does your doctor compare?” and the
“Ratings of practices for adults.” Readership rates for each piece were around 80%, with about
90% of respondents who looked at each piece saying it was at least somewhat useful to them.
Not all respondents were able to find their physician’s group among the Ratings, but most who
did tended not to be surprised by the results. The relatively few respondents who were surprised
by the results generally felt they were too low; they felt their doctor’s practice group was better
than the Ratings implied.
7
Respondents tended to agree, regardless of whether the question was asked as a ranking or a
rating item, that the most important measure of patient experience was how well the doctor
communicates with patients. Whether or not other patients would recommend the doctor was the
fourth most important measure of six; getting courteous and respectful help from office staff was
consistently the least important measure.
Most respondents said they felt roughly the same about the general state of health care in
Massachusetts after looking at the insert than they had before looking at the insert. Few
individuals (6%) planned to change their doctor in the next six months after reading part or all of
the insert, but many (39%) said that they intended to change what they would say or do during
future medical appointments after having read the suggestions in the “How does your doctor
compare?” piece.
One of the last content-related questions on the survey asked subscribers whether they would like
Consumer Reports and the Massachusetts Health Quality Partners to publish health care
information unique to Massachusetts every year. Sixty-eight percent of respondents said yes.
Twenty-two percent of subscribers wanted to see the information every two to three years; three
percent wanted to see the information every three to five years. Only three percent did not want
to see health care information unique to Massachusetts at all, and five percent said they were not
sure. The response to this survey item, in combination with high readership and perceived
usefulness percentages, suggests that readers appreciated the information in the special insert and
would be interested in seeing similar information in the future. Most respondents echoed a
positive response to the insert in the open-ended response question at the end of the survey (see
Appendix E for respondents’ unedited comments). Although a few respondents were unhappy
with the Ratings in particular for some reason (most commonly because they could not find a
particular practice site listed), most respondents who left comments expressed gratitude for the
resource.
8
APPENDIX A: July 2012 Special Insert Survey
MASSACHUSETTS SUBSCRIBER SATISFACTION SURVEY
Welcome!
This survey is designed to help us at Consumer Reports learn more about what subscribers like you thought about the
special insert, "How does your doctor compare?", published in the July 2012 issue of the magazine.
You may skip any questions you would prefer not to answer, though having complete information from each
subscriber is most helpful to us. Your answers will be kept confidential.
Sincerely, John Santa, M.D.
If you are missing any issues or have questions or problems related to your subscription, please contact our customer
service department at 1-800-274-7596.
Overall Satisfaction
Overall, how satisfied are you with the July 2012 issue of Consumer Reports?
 Completely satisfied
 Very satisfied
 Mostly satisfied
 Somewhat satisfied
 Not at all satisfied
Importance
The July 2012 issue included a special insert, "How does your doctor compare?" which included ratings of physician
groups in Massachusetts. How important is this type of physician group quality information to you?
 Extremely important
 Very important
 Somewhat important
 Not very important
 Not at all important
Curiosity
Is physician group quality information something you wondered about or researched before receiving the July issue
of Consumer Reports?
CONDIT
ION
 Yes
 No
f(’q1b’)==’1’
true
false
9
Question “Internet site”
Internet site
Have you ever used an internet site to help you choose a Massachusetts-based health provider for yourself or a family
member?
END
 Yes
 No
Condition f(’q1b’)==’1’
Notice insert?
Did you notice the special insert, "How does your doctor compare?" in the July 2012 issue?
CONDITION
 Yes
 No
f(’q2’)==’1’
true
false
Question “Read part”
Read part
Did you read part or all of the special insert, "How does your doctor compare?"
CONDITION
 Yes
 No
f(’q5’)==’2’
true
false
Question “Why not read”
Why not read
Please tell us why you have not yet read the special insert.
Select as many reasons as apply
 I have not yet had time to read it
 I am not interested in the content
 The content is not applicable to me
10
CONDITION
 Other
f(’q6’).any(’4’)
true
false
Question “”
END
Condition f(’q5’)==’2’
CONDITION
Condition f(’q6’).any(’4’)
END
Please tell us why you have not yet read the special insert.
f(’q5’)==’1’
true
false
Question “”
Aware of MHQP?
Were you aware of the Massachusetts Health Quality Partners before reading the special insert?
 Yes
 No
MHQP website
Did you visit the Massachusetts Health Quality Partners website as a result of reading about the organization?
 Yes
 No
11
SubPieces
Which parts, if any, of the special insert did you read?
 LETTER FROM DR. SANTA (p. 2)
 HOW DOES YOUR DOCTOR COMPARE? We rate adult, family, and pediatric physician
CONDITION
groups in the Bay State (pp. 3-8)
 EXCELLENCE ACROSS THE BOARD (p. 4)
 HOW PRACTICES CAN IMPROVE (p. 5)
 DON’T GET STUCK IN THE WAITING ROOM (p. 6)
 PEDIATRIC PRACTICES, BY THE NUMBERS (p. 8)
 WHAT’S BEHIND THE RATINGS (p. 9)
 RATINGS OF PRACTICES FOR ADULTS (pp 10-18)
 RATINGS OF PRACTICES FOR CHILDREN (pp. 19-23)
f(’q8’).size() > 0
true
false
Question “”
How useful were the parts of the insert that you read?
LETTER FROM DR. SANTA (p. 2)
HOW DOES YOUR DOCTOR COMPARE? We rate adult,
family, and pediatric physician groups in the
Bay State (pp. 3-8)
EXCELLENCE ACROSS THE BOARD (p. 4)
HOW PRACTICES CAN IMPROVE (p. 5)
DON’T GET STUCK IN THE WAITING ROOM (p. 6)
PEDIATRIC PRACTICES, BY THE NUMBERS (p. 8)
WHAT’S BEHIND THE RATINGS (p. 9)
RATINGS OF PRACTICES FOR ADULTS (pp 10-18)
RATINGS OF PRACTICES FOR CHILDREN (pp. 19-23)
Precode mask
END
f(’q8’)
Condition f(’q8’).size() > 0
12
Very
useful
Somewhat
useful
Not at
all
useful



























CONDITION
f(’q8’).any(’2’)
true
false
Question “”
Will the recommendations on how to interact with your doctor influence what you say or do during future medical
appointments?
CONDITION
END
 Yes
 No
 Maybe
Condition f(’q8’).any(’2’)
f(’q8’).any(’8’) || f(’q8’).any(’9’)
true
false
Question “”
Did you look up Ratings information for your doctor’s practice site?
CONDITION
 Yes
 No
f(’q11’)==’1’
true
false
Question “”
Did you find your doctor’s practice site in the Ratings Tables?
COND
ITIO
N
 Yes
 No
f(’q12’)==’1’
13
true
false
Question “Surprise at Ratings”
Surprise at Ratings
Were you surprised by the Ratings for your doctor’s practice site?
 Yes
 No
Rating Discrepancy
Our Ratings were based on patient experience. Based on your own experiences as a patient, would you have given
your doctor’s practice site higher, lower, or about the same ratings?
I
I
I
I
I
would
would
would
would
would
have
have
have
have
have
given
given
given
given
given
much higher ratings
somewhat higher ratings
about the same ratings
somewhat lower ratings
much lower ratings
Discuss
Will you discuss your doctor’s practice site Ratings with your doctor?
END
Condition f(’q12’)==’1’
END
 Yes
 No
 Not sure
Condition f(’q11’)==’1’
Importance of Measures First Item
Consumer Reports and the Massachusetts Health Quality Partners created the practice site Ratings using six measures
of patient experience. Please select the one measure you think is most important in selecting a doctor.
 Whether patients would recommend the doctor to others
 How well the doctor communicates with patients
 How well the doctor knows their patients
 How well the doctor gives preventative care and advice
 Whether patients receive timely appointments, care and information
 Whether patients get courteous and respectful help from the office staff
14
Rank Order of Measures
Next, please rank-order all six measures used to assess the practice sites. Rank them in order of their importance to
you, with 1 being the most important measure and 6 being the least important measure.
____
____
____
____
____
____
Whether patients would recommend their doctor to others
How well doctors communicate with patients
How well doctors know their patients
How well doctors give preventative care and advice
Timely appointments, care, and information
Courteous and respectful help from the office staff
Other measures
END
END
Condition f(’q5’)==’1’
Condition f(’q2’)==’1’
CONDITION
Condition f(’q8’).any(’8’) || f(’q8’).any(’9’)
END
What other quality measures, if any, would you like to see the Massachusetts Health Quality Partners and Consumer
Reports use in the future to evaluate health care providers?
f(’q5’)==’1’
true
false
Question “More or less positive”
More or less positive
After reading the special insert, do you feel better, worse, or roughly the same about the general state of health care in
Massachusetts?
 I feel better after reading the insert
 I feel roughly the same after reading the insert
 I feel worse after reading the insert
 Not sure
15
END
CONDITION
Condition f(’q5’)==’1’
f(’q2’)==’1’
true
false
Question “Share”
Share
Have you already shared, or will you share the information from the special insert with friends or family members?
 Yes
 No
 Not sure
Regular insert?
Would you like Consumer Reports and the Massachusetts Health Quality Partners to publish health care information
unique to Massachusetts (similar to what was published in the July special insert) every year?
 Yes, I would like to see Consumer Reports publish health information
END
specific to Massachusetts every year.
 No, but I would like to see Consumer Reports publish health information
unique to Massachusetts every 2-3 years.
 No, but I would like to see Consumer Reports publish health information
unique to Massachusetts every 3-5 years.
 No, I would not like to see Consumer Reports publish health information
specific to Massachusetts again in the future at all.
 Not sure.
Condition f(’q2’)==’1’
Change Providers
Do you expect to change to a different health provider within the next six months?
 Yes
 No
 Not sure
Subscribe to CRO
Do you, or anyone in your household, subscribe to Consumer Reports Online?
 Yes, I do
16
 Yes, another does
 No
Subscribe to CRoH
Do you, or anyone in your household, subscribe to Consumer Reports on Health newsletter?
 Yes, I do
 Yes, another does
 No
Sub Length
How long have you subscribed to Consumer Reports? Include any previous subscriptions whether or not they were
continuous.
 Less than six months
 Six months or more but less than 12 months
 One year or more but less than two years
 Two years or more but less than four years
 Four years or more
Likelihood Renewal
How likely is it that you will renew your subscription to Consumer Reports when it next becomes due?
CONDITION
 Definitely renew
 Probably renew
 Not sure
 Probably not renew
 Definitely not renew
f(’q22’)==’4’|| f(’q22’)==’5’
true
false
Question “”
If you / your household do not plan to renew your subscription, what, if anything, could we do differently that would
cause you to change your mind?
17
END
Condition f(’q22’)==’4’|| f(’q22’)==’5’
Recommend to Friends
How likely are you to recommend that your colleagues, friends and/or family subscribe to Consumer Reports?
 Very likely
 Somewhat likely
 Not at all likely
Retirement
Are you and/or your spouse/partner, if any, retired?
 Yes
 No
Income
Please indicate your annual household income by selecting a range.
This information is kept confidential, used only for research purposes, and helps us to ensure that we are serving the
needs of all our subscribers.
 Less than $40,000
 $40,000-$59,999
 $60,000-$79,999
 $80,000-$99,999
 $100,000-$149,999
 $150,000 or more
Education
Please indicate your highest completed level of education.
This information is kept confidential, used only for research purposes, and helps us to ensure that we are serving the
needs of all our subscribers.
CONDITION
 Completed
 Completed
 Completed
 Completed
 Other
high school
technical or vocational school
college
graduate school(s)
f(’q27’)==’5’
true
false
Question “Highest Level Education”
18
Highest Level Education
END
Please tell us your highest completed level of education
Condition f(’q27’)==’5’
Gender
What is your gender?
 Male
 Female
YrBorn
In what year were you born?
Please enter the year using two digits (example: 50 to indicate 1950).
Zip Code
What is your 5-digit ZIP code?
General Comments
Thank you for taking part in our online survey.
We welcome additional comments about the July 2012 insert or other topics.
Drawing
Thank you for taking part in our online survey.
Upon conclusion of the survey, we will randomly select 10 respondents to receive complimentary extensions of their
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20
APPENDIX B: July 2012 Special Insert Survey Invitation
Dear Consumer Reports subscriber:
Please give us feedback on the special insert for Massachusetts by taking about seven minutes to complete a brief
survey. The information you provide will be kept completely confidential.
Please click:
http://survey.confirmit.com/wix/p2175728437.aspx
If the hyperlink is not active, please paste the address into your browser.
Upon conclusion of the survey, we will select 10 respondents to receive complimentary subscription extensions to
Consumer Reports. We will notify all winners via e-mail upon selection and awarding of extensions.
Best regards,
Joanne Kane
Readership Research Associate
Consumer Reports
21
APPENDIX C: Additional quality measures respondents would like to see the Massachusetts Health
Quality Partners and Consumer Reports use in the future to evaluate health providers. 3
1-Doctor's willingness to speak/return phone calls relating to new health concern issues and establish a
course of action and or the need for an office visit. This is especially true for travelers or vacation home
owners. 2-To take seriously all patient health concerns, even continuing minor chronic quality of life issues,
to a level of diagnosis by a specialist if necessary where a plan of action and options are established from -ie exercise--icing inflamed area--etc. to surgery as a last resort.
1) Accuracy in diagnosing health problems, illness, and/or injury. 2) Effectiveness of prescribed treatment.
1) Accuracy of information and advice. 2) Long-term health outcomes of patients
ability, knowledge, peer comparison
acceptance of Medicare pts
Access to facility, parking, etc.
Accurate billing and coordinated care communication with other facilities. i.e. if you go somewhere else for
an xray.
Although my doctors association was rated, I only see My doctor & have no contact with other association
members except for front desk & pre-examination personnel. I think my doctor is the best I have ever had, I
am 70 & have had several doctors. My question is can you rate a doctor by rating the association he works
with? Although his association had OK ratings as an individual I feel he would have superior ratings.
Are they good doctors, do they practice medicine well. Can they refer you to excellent specialists.
Attention to dietary history, understanding caloric requirements, weight management and the importance of
lifestyle decisions
Be aware of the geography of Massachusetts. Most people who live in this area go to Rhode Island for
health care.
Bedside manner and how well a doctor listen's to concerns.
Can’t think of any more.
competence and appropriateness of care
Complaints, malpractice suits, professional censure or disciplines, patient turnover, how many patients die
under their care.
Consideration of comparative drug prices available to the patient, and probable cost of prescription.
Co-ordination of care with specialists
COST
Cost! Competition has been removed from the medical and it should be brought back. Who does the best
work at the cheapest price? You'll never know because insurance companies are involved.
Danvers Family doctors was not included in the study
diagnosis ability
Difficult to measure, but does patient's health improve or get worse if they stay with the practice.
Do doctors really listen to you or do they just have an agenda that they need to achieve
do they go beyond the standard tests to avoid malpractice suites and actually work at solving the patient's
problems (always being fatigued, always feeling cold when 'normal' people feel warm and hot)
Doctor by doctor instead of practice by practice
Doctor ratings of those not in any of these groups.
Doctors diagnostic and treatment skills.
Doctor's training and certifications
Does he really listen to you!
Does physicians provide price of various tests and services that are not required to diagnose or treat a
specific problem?
Does this information really matter if the stupid Obamacare goes into law? All would be irrelevant. First
let’s try to repeal this whole corrupted demagoguery. Mass health care is a Ponzi scheme and costs are
outrageous.
3
Suggestions for additional quality measures are unedited except for spelling and the removal of instances where a respondent simply wrote,
“None.”
22
Education, board certification, any discipline action, years in practice
effectiveness of recommended treatments
Efficiency, Use of electronic medical records, ease of communicating with the office (DR and /or staff) via
email etc, Use of "My Chart" type software ( which I find very helpful and efficient ( I have Fallon Senior
Plan -Worcester and services from Reliant Medical group) . I am happy with my care, plan, and providers
experience & competence
follow up care
follow-up on reports
Health care literacy assessment
Health outcome
help in getting quick appointments with referrals
How a doctor's colleagues would rate them
How accessible the doctor is via phone or email. How knowledgeable the health care provider is about
current medical information
How effectively the doctor communicates with other doctors in his practice and with (other) specialists.
How long the practice been in business; mean experience of doctors in years
How much a practice relies on seeing the Nurse Practitioner instead of the actual doctor.
how much patients feel like equal partners in their health care plans & options
how quickly do doctors or their assistants return phone calls? how quickly do doctors answer your emails.?
how long do doctors have you wait in exam rooms before they show up?
How respectful are physicians toward their patients. Do patients feel that the physician spends enough
time with them them/answers all their questions.
How they rate the health insurance systems...
How to go pick a specialist through the referral system
How up to date is the doctor's medical advice.
How well a doctor listens Does the doctor ask questions
How well doctors coordinate care of specialists for their patients' How willing doctors are to follow
established protocols for given symptoms
How well the elderly are treated.
How well the office manages continuity of care with other physicians
how well they keep up on training how many suits against them and how many lost
I am not the best respondent for your survey, as I am married to the RN that works for the group of
physicians listed in your report. The report itself will be shown to them. Hampshire County, 30 Locust St.
Your 6 part Question is stupid!!! Many of the listed items are critical and none deserve to be relegated to
5or 6.
I can't think of any at the moment.
I didn't read the article at first because I doubted it would have the information I need. It's the doctor that
matters, not the clinic. The number one attribute of any doctor is his technical knowledge and technical skill
coupled with his ability to make decisions. Everything else is irrelevant as long as you can get in to see
them in a timely manner. Your article ignored the most important attributes as I expected it would.
I do my own homework before selecting a physician to care for me or a loved one, but thank you very
much. I am in the healthcare field and have access to inside quality information from several insurance
companies and also have kept a long list of contacts from various specialties that help me navigate the
complex system that is our healthcare today.
I find recommendations from health care professions who actually see the docs in action more important
than recommendations from patients
I must mention that I am a physician practicing in one of the better rated practices. You might want to
discard my answers as skewed
I think an excellent job was completed !
I think that if you are going to rate Drs you should include everyone who is licensed in MA -- this report was
not inclusive enough.
I think you covered everything.
I would like to see hospitals and their information
23
I'm not sure. Something a little less subjective than would you recommend it - I don't care if you'd
recommend it or not, I want to know about my doctor.
I'm ok with it
In case no other place to say this: my doctor is part of a small group affiliated with the group actually named
in the Ratings. So the Ratings are not specific enough to the small group I actually see for primary care!
Individual doctor patient load; years of practice; credential ratings
Information on outcomes of malpractice lawsuits against physicians and providers
Issues around coordination of care among various specialists.
It is well covered assessment,
it looks well right now.
Keep it up
Knowledge
Legal history; accolades from the medical community; research areas; age range of patients
Medical care and decisions should not be handled in a media setting
more information on how doctors practices/office staff can improve, More information on "Physician
Extenders"--Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants.
Name individual Doctors
Non-defensive attitude when questioned; Appropriate referrals for specialists of high quality
None - They did a great job in what they have done!
None. As a doctor, I felt you may be misleading people with this report. Do not feel your organization
especially groups associated with this physician unfriendly state qualify to rate or judge this profession. JW
DDS FAGD FICD
Not sure, maybe hospital affiliations, lawsuits. I was very happy to see the high ratings my new primary care
physician's practice received. I must admit that I chose this physician based on recommendation of a friend
I trust
Objective measures of results..(I know it may not be practical or realistic to do, but it would be nice.)
on line access to patient charts
Open versus closed practice, new doctors and retiring doctor information.
opinions of other doctors
Outcomes
Outcomes
Outcomes which may only be know by what others say. I do not expect much from doctors, especially
young ones. I do not support the configuration of modern primary care. I do support, no appointments, small
one man practices with small, experienced staff. I think primary care today is all misshapen. You know what
I mean, if you are older than 55. If you are a young American adult you do not have a clue what I mean.
Sorry for you.
outcomes, wellness, negative things like censure, suits etc
Patient to doctor ratio. Too many patients and too few doctors. Patient referrals when needed.
Patients appointments 1 to 1-1/2 hours late by doctor from Pharmaceutical Salesmen taking a patients
appointment. Doctors should allow one day and a certain time just for salespeople so patients aren't put on
hold. One appointment I had with my doctor, I was an hour early and... he was 2-1/2 hours late because
information desk never told doctor patient was in the waiting room.
Physician's qualifications; complaints filed; stipends or other remunerations from drug or medical device
companies
PLAIN ENGLISH EXPLANATION OF DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENTS AND MEDICINES. THE DR.
READING THE PATIENT'S RECORD PRIOR TO SEEING THE PATIENT ON FOLLOW UP. AND
SPENDING TIME WITH THE PATIENT.
Possibly some input form the Physician's own staff.
professionalism-does he know his/her stuff? listening-does he/she take time to listen to understand?
Quality of advice on life style changes or recommended changes to diet and activity level.
Quality of facilities and cleanliness.
Quality of the office, exam rooms, etc.
24
Quantitative measures e.g. patient/doctor ratio, strength as diagnostician, lawsuits/complaints
Rating physicians on recommending natural or holistic remedies as opposed to pharmaceuticals
Recommending unnecessary drugs, tests or procedures
Relations with other Drs.. for expertise in special care requirements
Same day appointments for urgent care.
Some measures of actual clinical effectiveness or ineffectiveness.
stability of group doctor and patient turn-over patient to doctor ratio malpractice information
The age group of the patients they see. Elderly, middle age or childbearing. How well the doctors interact
with their fellow physicians.
the care doctors give to their patients. The information the doctors give to their patients. How well doctors
know their patient. It is not difficult to understand how important medicine and medical care is to a doctor.
Primary care doctors are paid the lesser. This is unfair. Massachusetts should have made U Mass
Dartmouth a medical school for primary care doctors and when they promise to work in Mass for at least
10 years give them a reduction in college tuition. Instead of a medical school we have yet another law
school!!
The criteria used indicate how well physicians connect with patients, but they have little relevance to the
physician's judgment, up-to-date knowledge or use of specialists. Although very important, they are
qualities that patients often cannot judge.
the report does not and cannot assess health care
the report lacked information on individual practitioners
There are many other primary care physician groups in the area not included in your article.
These are all great and very important. I find the use of the Patient Gateway a very useful tool for
communicating between appointments
This survey was not very helpful. We live 4 miles from the RI border and our adult physicians and pedi
physician are located in Providence, RI. I am not sure how you adjust for this with subscribers. Possibly by
providing appropriate web sites for border states?
This topic is not important to me. I did enjoy the ratings regarding flooring in the July issue.
Very comprehensive report. Have never seen anything comparable but have always been interested in the
subject. Thanks for the excellent report.
Very good article indeed.
Waiting time for a phone call from doctors or their nurses. Skill of the doctor.
Was able to identity health problem on first visit.
What hospital does my Doctor refer patients to?
what if any complaints about a certain doctor - what percentage are people happy or upset over their doctor
What procedures are standard for a complete physical exam?
Whether doctors use email to communicate, and respond to emails
Whether OTHER DOCTORS would recommend them. I don't really care whether patients "like" their
doctors or not.
whether problems are reported to governing/licensing boards ratings of hospitals associated with doctor
whether the doctor is primary care or specialist
whether the practices were accepting new patients. Knowing a practice is highly rated does little good if
they are not accepting new patients.
Whether they visit patients in the hospital or use hospitalists.
Why wasn't my doctor's practice included? I'm talking about 'Concord Hillside Medical Associates', which
is part of Atrius Health.
With the technological age in full bloom, I would like to know that my doctor can access on line any info
from other doctors or hospitals in order that he/she is fully informed about my total medical history.
Would like the physicians I deal with in Franklin County included.
You should try to get an appointment with one of the doctors you recommend. this is highly frustrating.
None of them are taking new patients
25
APPENDIX D: Additional quality measures respondents would like to see the Massachusetts Health
Quality Partners and Consumer Reports use in the future to evaluate health providers. Comments
have been split apart and edited for categorization purposes. Comments that do not include suggestions
for additional quality measures have been removed.
Category
Ability
Accessibility
Accessibility
Accessibility
Accessibility
Accessibility
Accessibility
Accessibility
Accessibility
Accessibility
Accessibility
Accuracy
Accuracy and
competence
Accuracy and
competence
Accuracy and
competence
Accuracy and
competence
Accuracy and
competence
Accuracy and
competence
Accuracy and
competence
Accuracy and
competence
Accuracy and
competence
Accuracy and
competence
Accuracy and
competence
Accuracy and
competence
Accuracy and
competence
Accuracy and
competence
Accuracy and
competence
Comment
Ability
Doctor's willingness to speak on the phone or return phone calls relating to new
health concern issues and establish a course of action or the need for an office visit.
This is especially true for travelers or vacation homeowners.
How accessible the doctor is via phone or email.
How quickly do doctors or their assistants return phone calls? How quickly do
doctors answer your emails? How long do doctors have you wait in exam rooms
before they show up?
[Whether] you can get in to see them in a timely manner.
I do not support the configuration of modern primary care. I do support, no
appointments, small one man practices with small, experienced staff.
Same day appointments for urgent care.
Waiting time for a phone call from doctors or their nurses.
Whether doctors use email to communicate, and respond to emails
Whether the practices were accepting new patients. Knowing a practice is highly
rated does little good if they are not accepting new patients.
You should try to get an appointment with one of the doctors you recommend. This
is highly frustrating. None of them are taking new patients
Health care literacy assessment
Accuracy in diagnosing health problems, illness, and/or injury.
Accuracy of information and advice.
Knowledge
Are they good doctors, do they practice medicine well?
Competence and appropriateness of care
Diagnosis ability
Doctors diagnostic and treatment skills.
Competence
How knowledgeable the health care provider is about current medical information.
How up to date is the doctor's medical advice.
The number one attribute of any doctor is his technical knowledge and technical skill
coupled with his ability to make decisions.
Knowledge
Professionalism-does he know his/her stuff?
Strength as diagnostician
Was able to identity health problem on first visit.
26
Accuracy and
competence
Accuracy and
competence
Accuracy and
competence
Accuracy and
competence
Alternative medicines
Attitude
Communication
Conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
Coordinated care
Coordinated care
Coordination of care
Coordination of care
Coordination of care
Coordination of care
Coordination of care
Coordination of care
Coordination of care
Cost
Cost
Cost
Cost
Credentials
Credentials
Disciplinary action and
lawsuits
Disciplinary action and
lawsuits
Disciplinary action and
lawsuits
Disciplinary action and
lawsuits
Disciplinary action and
lawsuits
Disciplinary action and
lawsuits
How well they keep up on training
Skill of the doctor.
The criteria used indicate how well physicians connect with patients, but they have
little relevance to the physician's judgment, up-to-date knowledge or use of
specialists. Although very important, they are qualities that patients often cannot
judge.
The care doctors give to their patients. The information the doctors give to their
patients. How well doctors know their patient.
Rating physicians on recommending natural or holistic remedies as opposed to
pharmaceuticals
Non-defensive attitude when questioned
PLAIN ENGLISH EXPLANATION OF DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENTS AND
MEDICINES
Recommending unnecessary drugs, tests or procedures
Stipends or other remunerations from drug or medical device companies
Coordinated care communication with other facilities. (E.g. if you go somewhere
else for an X-ray.)
Coordination of care with specialists
Efficiency, Use of electronic medical records, ease of communicating with the office
(DR and /or staff) via email etc, Use of "My Chart" type software (which I find very
helpful and efficient).
How effectively the doctor communicates with other doctors in his practice and with
(other) specialists.
How well doctors coordinate care of specialists for their patients.
How well the office manages continuity of care with other physicians
Issues around coordination of care among various specialists.
Appropriate referrals for specialists of high quality
With the technological age in full bloom, I would like to know that my doctor can
access on line any info from other doctors or hospitals in order that he/she is fully
informed about my total medical history.
Consideration of comparative drug prices available to the patient, and probable
cost of prescription.
Cost
Cost! Competition has been removed from the medical and it should be brought
back. Who does the best work at the cheapest price? You'll never know because
insurance companies are involved.
Does physicians provide price of various tests and services that are not required to
diagnose or treat a specific problem?
Credential ratings
Physician's qualifications
How many suits against them and how many lost
Information on outcomes of malpractice lawsuits against physicians and providers
Legal history
Lawsuits
Complaints filed
Lawsuits/complaints
27
Disciplinary action and
lawsuits
Disciplinary action and
lawsuits
Disciplinary action and
lawsuits
Disciplinary action and
lawsuits
Disciplinary action and
lawsuits
Doctor turnover
Experience
Experience
Experience
Facility
Facility
Facility
Follow-up
Follow-up
Follow-up
Friends’ opinions
Hospital affiliations
Hospital affiliations
Insurance
Insurance
Listening
Listening
Listening
Listening
Listening
Listening
Listening
Minor issues
Minor issues
Misc.
Misc.
Other doctors’ opinions
Other doctors’ opinions
Other doctors’ opinions
Other doctors’ opinions
Other doctors’ opinions
Other doctors’ opinions
Other doctors’ opinions
Malpractice information
Whether problems are reported to governing/licensing boards ratings of hospitals
associated with doctor
Complaints, malpractice suits, professional censure or disciplines
Any disciplinary action
Censure, lawsuits, etc.
Open versus closed practice, new doctors and retiring doctor information.
Years of practice
Experience
How long the practice been in business; mean experience of doctors in years
Quality of facilities and cleanliness.
Quality of the office, exam rooms, etc.
Access to facility, parking, etc.
Follow up care
Follow-up on reports
THE DR. READING THE PATIENT'S RECORD PRIOR TO SEEING THE PATIENT
ON FOLLOW UP. AND SPENDING TIME WITH THE PATIENT.
I was very happy to see the high ratings my new primary care physician's practice
received. I must admit that I chose this physician based on recommendation of a
friend I trust
Hospital affiliations.
What hospital does my Doctor refer patients to?
Acceptance of Medicare plans
Accurate billing
Bedside manner and how well a doctor listen's to concerns.
Do doctors really listen to you or do they just have an agenda that they need to
achieve
Does he really listen to you!
How much patients feel like equal partners in their health care plans and options
How respectful are physicians toward their patients. Do patients feel that the
physician spends enough time with them them/answers all their questions?
How well a doctor listens. Does the doctor ask questions?
Listening-does he/she take time to listen to understand?
To take seriously all patient health concerns, even continuing minor chronic quality
of life issues.
Do they go beyond the standard tests to avoid malpractice suites and actually work
at solving the patient's problems (always being fatigued, always feeling cold when
'normal' people feel warm and hot)
Research areas; age range of patients
Whether they visit patients in the hospital or use hospitalists.
How a doctor's colleagues would rate them
I find recommendations from health care professionals who actually see the docs in
action more important than recommendations from patients
Accolades from the medical community
Opinions of other doctors
Possibly some input form the Physician's own staff.
Whether OTHER DOCTORS would recommend them. I don't really care whether
patients "like" their doctors or not.
How well the doctors interact with their fellow physicians.
28
Other patients’
comments
Outcomes
Outcomes
Outcomes
Outcomes
Outcomes
Outcomes
Outcomes
Outcomes
Outcomes
Outcomes
Outcomes
Patient turnover
Patient-doctor ratio
Patient-doctor ratio
Patient-doctor ratio
Patient-doctor ratio
Peer comparison
Preventive care
Preventive care
Preventive care
Punctuality
Qualifications
Qualifications
Referrals
Referrals
Referrals
Referrals
Referrals
Retention
Special populations
Special populations
Standard practices
Standard practices
Technology
Technoloy
Use of NPs
What if any complaints about a certain doctor - what percentage are people happy
or upset over their doctor
Effectiveness of prescribed treatment.
Long-term health outcomes of patients
How many patients die under their care
Difficult to measure, but does patient's health improve or get worse if they stay with
the practice.
Effectiveness of recommended treatments
Health outcome
Objective measures of results. (I know it may not be practical or realistic to do, but
it would be nice.)
Outcomes
Outcomes
Outcomes
Some measures of actual clinical effectiveness or ineffectiveness.
Stability of group doctor and patient turn-over
Individual doctor patient load
Patient to doctor ratio. Too many patients and too few doctors.
Quantitative measures e.g. patient/doctor ratio
Patient to doctor ratio
Peer comparison
Attention to dietary history, understanding caloric requirements, weight
management and the importance of lifestyle decisions
Wellness
Quality of advice on life style changes or recommended changes to diet and activity
level.
Patients appointments 1 to 1-1/2 hours late by doctor from Pharmaceutical
Salesmen taking a patients appointment. Doctors should allow one day and a
certain time just for salespeople so patients aren't put on hold. One appointment I
had with my doctor, I was an hour early and he was 2-1/2 hours late because
information desk never told doctor patient was in the waiting room.
Doctor's training and certifications
Education, board certification, years in practice
[Doctor’s willingness to make referrals for] diagnosis by a specialist if necessary
where a plan of action and options are established: [e.g.] exercise, icing inflamed
area, to surgery as a last resort
Can the doctor refer you to excellent specialists?
Help in getting quick appointments with referrals
Patient referrals when needed.
Relations with other Drs.. for expertise in special care requirements
Patient turnover
How well the elderly are treated.
The age group of the patients they see. Elderly, middle age or childbearing.
How willing doctors are to follow established protocols for given symptoms.
What procedures are standard for a complete physical exam?
These are all great and very important. I find the use of the Patient Gateway a very
useful tool for communicating between appointments
Online access to patient charts
How much a practice relies on seeing the Nurse Practitioner instead of the actual
doctor.
29
APPENDIX E: General comments about the July 2012 insert.4
American healthcare is going the wrong way. We do not have technical issues; we have
competency issues.
Broaden it to include more physicians and groups
did not cover our current doctors
Do an article on lowering medical costs!
Do reviews of Primary Care doctors every 2 years. On alternate years, review common
specialists: ophthalmologists, dermatologists, ob/gyns, plastic surgeons, orthopedic surgeons,
general surgeons, ..
Doctor section was disgusting. You should not be allowed to do this
Even though I ranked the 6 qualities of health care, I think they are all important and essential.
everything I wanted to know and than some thanks
first time, not sure what to make of it exactly, but very interesting
great information every time
happily, our doctor was in the top group which we would have suspected.
Hope you won't be mad if I told my friends about you!
I actually thought that you did a great piece and were very detailed. Good job!
I almost missed my primary care provider in the listing. My town (Shrewsbury) was listed under
"Metro-West." Virtually no one considers this town to be "Metro-West," it is "Central
Massachusetts. My first inclination, upon looking at the report, was to assume that my town
wasn't being covered by the report for some reason.
I belong to a highly specialized managed care group for the disabled, so there is no way I
would opt out of it!
I enjoy reading Consumer Reports even though I may not be purchasing or investigating
anything at the time
I feel very isolated here in Franklin County and often wonder if I am getting competent care.
You have increased my concern. I may have to go to Springfield for physicians, which seems a
shame.
I felt I was getting some of the best health care in the nation!
I found it extremely informative and... my doctor/health care center was rated one of the best,
which, made me very happy with my choices.
I have always told my doctors that they are as good as their front desk. I have left 2 practices
because of lack of courtesy and follow up. Your ratings bore that out.
I like the idea, but it was too superficial. I found that "Consumers Checkbook, Massachusetts"
was more useful for me.
I meant to write in about this. This sort of thing is much more effective in controlling medical
costs than the malicious folly that is ObamaCare.
I think that Consumer Reports can do a better job reporting. Recently you rated hospitals -you can't compare small hospital with large hospitals, i.e. Beverly Hospital with Mass general.
You also rated a NH hospital high - when they have had several significant safety issues with a
communicable disease. You need to go back to the drawing board of your comparisons and do
a better job.
I was disappointed that my doctor's practice at MGH was apparently not rated.
I was disappointed that my physicians group was not included.
I was disappointed there was no individual physician ratings.
I was excited to see my actual practice included, and pleased to see it rated highly on patient
care.
I was pleased to find such state-specific information.
I was unable to download the special July 2012 insert on my iPad. I prefer to read Consumer
Reports on my iPad vs the print edition. I would like to see next year's insert available in
electronic form for download.
4
General are unedited except for spelling and the removal of instances where a respondent simply wrote, “None.”
30
I will keep it for reference as of now I have no need for anything other than routine medical care
I would have needed info on doctors. One has no idea how good the doctors are in a group.
I'm a Massachusetts physician, friendly with my personal physicians.
I'm a retired MD and have my own opinions about quality care.
In the question asking readers to rate qualities important to them, 1-6, I feel that ALL of these
are important. Forced choice wasn't accurate for me. My physicians' group was the highest
rated of all, and it took me many years to find such an excellent experience on all of these
categories.
In your questions you asked "how important" the various ratings were. Though not terribly
"important" to me as I am already very mindful of medical services I did find the ratings very
interesting and the rating for my doctor's practice was right on and I will certainly mention it to
her.
Individual doctors should be included by area.
Insert not included
Insert was somewhat boilerplate. Consumer Reports and their idiotic president support
increased government regulation and governmental involvement in healthcare, losing pretty
much all credibility on healthcare issues anyway. Stick to household appliances.
Instead of publishing the long lists, you could just give the links every year.
Interesting, although in our case we already have information about our superb providers
Just a wonderfully thorough and helpful report. It was great to find out how good my medical
center is.
Keep up the good work
keep up the good work.
keep up the good work.
Keep up the great work!
Many people in Massachusetts live near bordering states. It would be nice if similar data was
available for those states. In general, based on my personal experience, the ratings made
sense to me.
Massachusetts is too broad an area to compare practices against. County or regional would be
more applicable and useful.
Methodology may not accurately reflect the ratings-you have incomplete information particularly
as to the composition of some practices
Most people know if they are getting good service and tend to stay with good offices
My doctor and community hospital were not included so the insert had little value for me.
My doctor is part of a small group affiliated with the group actually named in the Ratings. So the
Ratings are not specific enough to the small group I actually see for primary care!
My doctor is THE BEST..........
My doctor's group (and the one I practiced in as a physician) had one of the highest, if not the
highest ratings -- about right.
My family practice was not included by name in your report which limits its relevance to my
particular interests.
My health care provider was not listed, so the section was not relevant to me.
Nice to see that my health care provider is highly rated.
Nothing at this time.
OK but if you’re trying to find a good doctor out of group ratings I feel it is one tool but use other
methods also.
Please add CONCORD INTERNAL MEDICINE ASSOCIATES if possible to your next survey
Please expand this report to include some of the smaller medical groups.
Please include comparable web site sources for border states to assist those who receive
medical care across state lines. We live in Mass. and receive care in RI.
Please include geriatric practices next time
Rate "concierge" practices
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See if you can break through the Mass politics to get the important information regarding Dr.
skill levels, patient mistakes, technical skills. What else really should matter other than
timeliness?
Since I belong to work health plan at and use their services at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology most of the information generated in the article did not apply to me. I found it
interesting how MA health care rated to others and who was considered good in the state.
Someone (the mailman??) removed it before I received it in the mail.
Stick to cars and appliances, You cannot measure doctors by the measures you used.
Still an avid reader after zillions of years.
Stop asking questions that you know very well most people should not answer.
Survey supposed to be about physician quality but you discuss only groups. Don't individual
physicians have a role in quality. It's no wonder physicians are avoiding primary care.
thank you
Thank you for doing it.
Thank you for doing the research, it will be very helpful to many people
thank you for the opportunity to comment/rate/allow input
Thank you.
Thanks
This was an outstanding public service! Thank you.
Very enlightening--confirms my own thought about my doctors.
Very informative
Very informative, I'm sure it will keep the Dr.'s on their toes as well.
very pleased with the information. Found a great pediatrician based on the results!
Very satisfied with my doctor. We trust the group she is affiliated to.
we have moved to Nevada...that is why the Mass. info did not interest us.
We will be moving to Colorado (Denver area) soon. Any chance of having something similar
covering that area?
Wonder if the rankings for MGH West Adult Med may have been due to inability to get
appointments. My doctor is terrific, but not accepting new patients, for example
Worked in health care my entire career & watched in horror as it seemed to go from a "patient
first" philosophy to a "business" philosophy.
Would have liked doctor specific info vs. by general practice info
Would have liked to see more specialists in the survey
you are most welcome
You had the town of Wellesley in the wrong county. It is in Norfolk, not Middlesex.
You need to cover more physician groups.
You rated the Lahey Clinic, Burlington MA much lower than it should be. It is one of the best
hospitals in Massachusetts. I totally disagree with the rating which was a '2' in most categories.
I have been helped and taken care of by some of the best physicians ever in that hospital. You
rated 2 clinics in Fall River MA as excellent, even better than Lahey, however they cannot even
come close to Lahey's service.
Your scope is too limited
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