Abstract
Purpose :
Patient satisfaction is a growing priority in the context of pay for performance reimbursement, but the determinants of patient satisfaction in the setting of emergency eye care are poorly characterized. In this retrospective study, public, online Yelp reviews (www.yelp.com) of 4 dedicated eye emergency departments in the U.S. were examined to identify factors affecting patient satisfaction.
Methods :
All online Yelp reviews discussing eye emergency departments at 4 U.S. hospitals were included in the study. Each review rated overall experience on a scale from 1 (low) to 5 (high) stars and included an unstructured, free-form comment. Free-form comments were categorized as discussing one or more of the following themes: visit time, cost & insurance, medical knowledge & competence, physician & staff interpersonal skills, and care provided by residents / trainees.
Results :
Thirty-three online Yelp reviews from 4 eye emergency departments were included in the analysis. The average numerical rating was 2.9 stars with a standard deviation of 1.7 stars. The most common theme discussed in free-form comments was visit time (79% of reviews). Twelve of the 13 one-star reviews discussed visit time in the free-form comment. The least common theme discussed was cost & insurance (12% of reviews) and care by residents / trainees (18% of reviews). Only 1 of the 13 one-star reviews discussed care being provided by a resident / trainee. There was no statistically significant difference in star rating between reviews that discussed care being provided by residents / trainees and those that did not (p=0.678).
Conclusions :
Online reviews of 4 dedicated eye emergency departments suggest mixed patient satisfaction overall. The high number of reviews discussing visit times indicates this is a key determinant of patient satisfaction. There was no evidence to suggest that care by residents / trainees, who typically provide the majority of care in emergency eye settings, had a positive or negative effect on patient satisfaction. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is currently developing the Emergency Department Patient Experiences with Care (EDPEC) survey, which will further elucidate factors affecting patient satisfaction in EDs. The EDPEC survey will also facilitate comparison between multiple EDs and pay for performance reimbursement.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2016 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, Wash., May 1-5, 2016.