| Purpose: To understand the differences in primary care patient satisfaction by payer mix in an Academic Health Center (AHC) in advance of additional Medicaid reform initiatives. Method: A 19-month study was conducted using patient satisfaction data collected by an AHC s for 8,044 outpatient encounters (53 percent commercial and 47 percent Medicaid) and analyzed against the Access to Care, the Patient Visit, and the Overall Visit domains. Results: No significant differences were noted in Overall Visit satisfaction between the patient groups. However, significant differences were noted within the Access to Care and Patient Visit survey domains between these groups. Conclusion: Additional training may be needed for all members of the primary care team if all Medicaid patients are going to be retained by the AHC in a more competitive, consumer-driven health care environment. |
