We have had previous posts dealing with both patient satisfaction and the notion of transparency in health care as a means of improving the health care system. Both are for the most part useless and irrelevant. We have also made reference to the research that this article in WSJ Capital Section (available to non-subscribers for 7 days) highlights and it further implicates the patient satisfaction efforts. Just because patients are satisfied does not mean that they have received quality healthcare, the most recent evidence-based approach, or that they are even improved in their condition.
As the author aptly points out “confusing high scores on patient-satisfaction surveys with high-quality medical care can be dangerous to your health.”
Larry
