At Baystate Health, we believe in the power of patient choice and want to provide you with the information you need to choose the best provider for you. We are a national leader in quality improvement and patient safety, and we believe in complete transparency of the data of care we provide. To provide the highest quality of care to our patients, we continuously measure and improve our care including ways to increase survival rates, patient safety, and the satisfaction patients have with their experience, as we learn to be one of the safest hospitals in the country.
We want to help patients, family members, and potential patients understand how we capture the patient experience. The information on this site explains our patient satisfaction surveys, the various ways we deliver patient feedback to our providers, and how we have created transparent reporting to patients about our doctors.
About the Surveys
Baystate Health measures many aspects of our patients’ experience. To ensure that we are holding ourselves to the highest standards, we have partnered with an independent patient satisfaction organization, Press Ganey (PG). For more than 30 years, PG has been the health care industry’s highest standard for patient satisfaction working with more than 2,000 hospitals and health systems nation-wide to collect feedback from patients to improve clinical and business results.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who receives a survey?
A few days after their visit to a Baystate Medical Practice Provider (BMP), Press Ganey (PG) sends BMP patients either a paper survey, email message or text message with a link to the survey. Patients are given the chance to provide feedback about their experience with their provider. Survey results are shared with departments, senior leaders, and individual providers to find ways to improve care.
What questions do we ask?
On behalf of Baystate Health, PG administers the Clinician and Group Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers & Systems (CG-CAHPS) practice survey, developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, for use in medical practices across the country. The survey asks patients to rate how well their provider communicated, listened, and showed courtesy and respect toward them. We use the results to evaluate patients’ overall belief of care and to find areas for improvement.
What do we do with the survey responses?
Survey ratings and patient comments are shared on this website for the benefit of patients and BMP providers. BMP providers are asked to review their patients’ feedback and ratings.
How is the providers’ patient satisfaction star rating created?
Star ratings are based on patient responses to six questions about care from their Baystate Medical Practices provider:
- Did the provider explain things in a way that was easy to understand?
- Did the provider listen carefully to you?
- Did the provider give you easy to understand information about your health questions or concerns?
- Did the provider know important information about your medical history?
- Did the provider show respect for what you had to say?
- Did the provider spend enough time with you?
For each provider, ratings from their patients are averaged together to form a single star rating.
Are all comments posted?
We post both positive and negative comments from surveys. We do not post comments that are libelous, slanderous, profane, irrelevant or otherwise inappropriate, or that may risk the privacy of Baystate Medical Practices patients.
Are patients informed that their comments may be posted?
While comments are posted anonymously, all patients surveyed by Press Ganey are asked for their permission to use comments. Patients are told that their comments may be featured in the online doctor rating feature of Baystate Health’s website and used to identify opportunities to improve care.
Why don’t I see patient ratings and comments for every provider?
The more ratings a provider receives the better. A provider’s rating will only be posted on the site if they have at least 30 completed surveys. Currently ratings are only posted for Baystate Medical Practices providers.
Can anyone complete a survey or post a comment about a provider?
No. Only Baystate Medical Practices patients will receive a survey from Press Ganey.
Why post patient comments about a provider?
- We want patients to be able to choose the best provider for them.
- We know that the patient-provider relationship is very important, so we offer our patients meaningful feedback from other patients to help them choose a provider.
- Patients increasingly want to be involved in their care, and that starts with giving information they want and need.
- Providers are interested in hearing feedback from their patients to help improve care and relationships.
How is patient information protected?
Patient names are not shown for on-line ratings or commentary reviews. All personal information is removed.
How does Baystate Health measure and check the quality of clinical care?
To provide the highest quality of care to our patients, we continuously measure and improve our care; we find ways to increase survival rates, patient safety, and patient satisfaction/experience as we learn to be one of the safest hospitals in the country. This includes a commitment to work together on uncovering gaps related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and identifying actionable strategies to improve equity in care. To develop a common understanding of equity, systemic racism, and unconscious bias.
Has Baystate Health won awards for their patient experience and clinical care?
Yes. Each year Baystate Health is honored to be recognized as one of the highest quality and safest health systems in the country by many organizations. Check out the many awards Baystate Health entities have won for providing excellent clinical care and an excellent patient experience.