A new survey from Medscape sheds light on what doctors look for when they seek care for themselves or a loved one.
What are the 5 myths physicians believe about patient experience?
For the survey, published Wednesday, Medscape asked 8,504 doctors across more than 25 specialties about the factors important to them when selecting a hospital for treatment for themselves or a loved one, as well as the hospital they would select for themselves or a family member for specific conditions. Medscape conducted the survey between Dec. 5, 2016, and March 27, 2017.
What physicians look for in a hospital
When physicians were asked about the most important factors when selecting a hospital:
- 42 percent listed medically respected physician expertise;
- 19 percent listed a good reputation among colleagues;
- 13 percent listed having a particular physician at the hospital;
- 10 percent listed access to leading technologies;
- 7 percent listed low error rates;
- 4 percent listed low infection rates;
- 3 percent listed treatments and studies published in respected journals;
- 1 percent listed participation in clinical trials;
- 1 percent listed readmission rates; and
- 1 percent of responses were labeled as "other."
How overall picks compare to specialties
Medscape also asked providers to list their preferred hospitals for nine specific conditions. For each condition, Medscape ranked the top ten selections based on responses from physicians in general, as well as the top five selections based on responses from physicians who specialized in the condition at hand.
The survey shows that doctors overall do not generally pick the same top hospital for a condition as specialists in that particular field. However, specialists' preferred hospital for their specialty was almost always among overall physicians' top selections for that condition.
The survey shows that the preferred hospital for treatment for:
- Breast cancer was Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (New York City) among all physicians and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Boston) among oncologists;
- Prostate cancer was Memorial Sloan among all physicians and Dana-Farber among oncologists;
- Lung cancer was MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston) among all physicians and Dana-Farber among oncologists;
- Hip replacement was Hospital for Special Surgery (New York City) among all physicians and Cleveland Clinic among surgeons;
- Cardiac conditions was Cleveland Clinic among all physicians and Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston) among cardiologists;
- Interventional cardiac surgery was Cleveland Clinic among all physicians and Brigham and Women's among cardiologists;
- Stroke was Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minnesota) among all physicians and Brigham and Women's among cardiologists;
- Infectious disease was Mayo Clinic among all physicians and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (Los Angeles) among HIV/infectious disease specialists; and
- Multiple sclerosis was Mayo Clinic among all physicians and Brigham and Women's among neurologists (Brooks, Medscape, 7/21; Kane/Bohlander, Medscape, 7/19).
What are the 5 myths physicians believe about patient experience?
Excellent patient experience is a critical piece of modern medicine, reflected clearly in outcomes. And more than amenities, clean rooms, or quiet during night, the factors that most inflect patient experience all relate to communication and coordination among the care team—factors that physicians are in a unique position to influence.
Clinician-patient communication, leadership of the care team, and support and empathy for the patient across the unit are the most important factors for success, and they’re all driven by the physician as the “Influencer in Chief.”