Quality and Patient Satisfaction
At Hill Physicians, we are dedicated to providing high-quality care and a positive overall member experience. Our network of doctors is consistently rated as among the best by independent third parties.
In 2011, the Integrated Healthcare Association (IHA) recognized Hill Physicians as one of the “Top Performers,” based on overall quality. In making its determination, the IHA considered more than 200 medical groups and evaluated detailed information on clinical quality, patient experience, information technology-enabled ‘systemness,’ and a coordinated diabetes registry to assist patients with the condition. The IHA award specifically recognized Hill Physicians emphasis on a positive experience, as well as clinical efforts such as the diabetes registry.
In 2010, the California Association of Physician Group awarded its highest designation – Elite status – to Hill Physicians, based on its assessment of clinical quality, technology and engagement with our members. That same year, the IHA awarded “Top Performer” and “Most Improved” status to Hill Physicians.
Each year, member surveys place our satisfaction levels as among the best in the state. Combined, these assessments mean you can choose Hill Physicians as your medical group with confidence.
Quality Initiatives | Patient Satisfaction Resources | Third-Party Reports
Quality Initiatives
Easy access to preventive testing and screenings on a variety of health topics and a collaborative approach to improving outcomes for people with chronic conditions are just a few of the many things we’re doing to enhance and expand the care we provide.
We continually monitor our clinical results, both for individual physicians and across the medical group. And, we provide our physicians with data on their performance to ensure continual improvement at the individual practice level.
Preventive Testing and Screenings
Hill Physicians ranks among the best medical groups in the state in terms of improving the overall health of our members through preventive screenings and other clinical quality measures. Preventive screenings have been found to help reduce hospitalizations and, in some cases, identify diseases before they get out of control.
For 2011, the percentage of Hill Physicians patients who received preventive screenings for a variety of chronic conditions remained high, exceeding most clinical benchmarks.
The chart compares our clinical achievements on four key preventive screenings with the average of all medical groups in California up to 2011.
About the Screenings
Breast Cancer Screening
This measure shows the percentage of women ages 52 to 69 who received a mammogram. Women aged 40 to 75 should receive a mammogram every two years.
Colorectal Cancer Screening
This measure shows the percentage of patients ages 51 to 75 who have been screened for colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer is often curable when detected early. Screening with either an FOBT every year, a flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 years or colonoscopy every 10 years should begin for patients at age 50 and continue through age 75.
Annual Diabetes Testing
This measure shows the percentage of diabetes patients who received at least one annual HbA1c test to check blood sugar control.
Chlamydia Screening
This measure shows the percentage of sexually active women ages 16 to 25 who have had one or more test for chlamydia. Chlamydia is a curable sexually transmitted disease, but, when left untreated, causes scarring, infertility and chronic pelvic infection. Screening should begin at the onset of sexual activity and continue annually through age 25 thereafter.
See Hill Physicians Preventive Guidelines for Your Health for more information about recommended screenings for your family.
Health Education Resources
Hill Physicians firmly believes our health and wellness programs can make a significant contribution to improving the overall health of our members. We offer pain management classes and free online multimedia instruction on a wide variety of health topics such as exercise, health conditions (such as GERD and insomnnia), relaxation techniques, emotional health, nutrition, stress management and even healthcare benefit management.
Our Health Library provides 24/7 access to up to date clinical information or use our Symptom Checker to understand what might be ailing you.
Our Online Health Centers have information and resources for many common conditions.
Patient Satisfaction
When our members are happy, we know we’ve done our job. And we must be doing it right.
Our members report high levels of satisfaction both with their care and their relationships with their physicians. Hill Physicians scored higher overall than the majority of California medical groups on the 2011 Patient Assessment Survey (PAS).
We also welcome and encourage feedback from our patients to their physicians and to us. Through our In-Office Patient Feedback Program, patients can complete an online survey immediately after an office visit, giving the physician important information about the quality of service provided by the office. We also invite comments from our members through our Give Us Your Feedback program.
Patient Satisfaction Resources
9 High Impact Changes to Improve Patient Satisfaction
(see CQC Resources below for more information)
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Negotiate the agenda with the patient at the start of each visit.
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Make a personal connection through eye contact, and demonstrate compassion through empathetic statements
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Provide closure to the visit by summarizing next steps and action plan
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Notify patients of all test results, whether positive or negative
-
Review patient’s chart prior to starting the visit
- Handle more than one concern during the visit and extend return intervals as clinically appropriate
-
Open same day appointment slots
-
Conduct regular practice team meetings or daily brief “check-ins” and measure practice site satisfaction at least quarterly
-
Obtain ongoing feedback from patients through a survey, at least monthly
Relay Health
Communication is an important component to patient satisfaction. Relay Health offers an online option for patients and offices to securely communicate with each other. For more information on the numerous features of Relay Health click below to go to their website.
Click here for some quick facts about Relay Health
Click here to go to the Relay Health Website
Patient Preference Sheet on Notification
One way to ensure patients are content with the way the office communicates with them is to ask them. Here is a sample sheet that can be used to ask patients how they like to be notified of lab or diagnostic test results.
Click here to download a sample sheet
California Quality Collaborative Resources
The mission of California Quality Collaborative (CQC) is to identify and accelerate the adoption of proven innovations in ambulatory care to achieve the highest attainable value of healthcare they deliver. One of their initiatives is the Improving the Patient Experience Collaborative. There is a lot of helpful information and a number of resources on their website including a tip sheet and video that share proven interventions to increase patient satisfaction scores.
Click here to go to the CQC Patient Experience Resources Page
Patient Assessment Surveys
These surveys are sent out to patients each year in order to evaluate physicians and physician groups in California. The results are used in the California Statewide Pay for Performance Initiative and the California Office of the Patient Advocate’s Report Card to evaluate medical groups.
The following links show the specific questions asked for the 2010 Patient Assessment Surveys:
Independent Third-Party Quality Reports
The California Office of the Patient Advocate and Healthscope offer independently prepared reports on the quality of HMO healthcare in California.
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Healthscope: This site compares medical groups based on statistics from more than 50,000 Californians. You’ll also find health plan comparisons.
9 High Impact Changes to Improve Patient Satisfaction
(see CQC Resources below for more information)
-
Negotiate the agenda with the patient at the start of each visit.
-
Make a personal connection through eye contact, and demonstrate compassion through empathetic statements
-
Provide closure to the visit by summarizing next steps and action plan
-
Notify patients of all test results, whether positive or negative
-
Review patient’s chart prior to starting the visit
- Handle more than one concern during the visit and extend return intervals as clinically appropriate
-
Open same day appointment slots
-
Conduct regular practice team meetings or daily brief “check-ins” and measure practice site satisfaction at least quarterly
-
Obtain ongoing feedback from patients through a survey, at least monthly
Relay Health
Communication is an important component to patient satisfaction. Relay Health offers an online option for patients and offices to securely communicate with each other. For more information on the numerous features of Relay Health click below to go to their website.
Click here for some quick facts about Relay Health
Click here to go to the Relay Health Website
Patient Preference Sheet on Notification
One way to ensure patients are content with the way the office communicates with them is to ask them. Here is a sample sheet that can be used to ask patients how they like to be notified of lab or diagnostic test results.
Click here to download a sample sheet
California Quality Collaborative Resources
The mission of California Quality Collaborative (CQC) is to identify and accelerate the adoption of proven innovations in ambulatory care to achieve the highest attainable value of healthcare they deliver. One of their initiatives is the Improving the Patient Experience Collaborative. There is a lot of helpful information and a number of resources on their website including a tip sheet and video that share proven interventions to increase patient satisfaction scores.
Click here to go to the CQC Patient Experience Resources Page
Patient Assessment Surveys
These surveys are sent out to patients each year in order to evaluate physicians and physician groups in California. The results are used in the California Statewide Pay for Performance Initiative and the California Office of the Patient Advocate’s Report Card to evaluate medical groups.
The following links show the specific questions asked for the 2010 Patient Assessment Surveys:
Independent Third-Party Quality Reports
The California Office of the Patient Advocate and Healthscope offer independently prepared reports on the quality of HMO healthcare in California.
-
-
Healthscope: This site compares medical groups based on statistics from more than 50,000 Californians. You’ll also find health plan comparisons.