Surveys You Might Not Know SurveyVitals Offers
SurveyVitals’ digital patient experience surveys help you gain a deeper understanding of your performance with immediate patient feedback. Did you know our solution includes many more surveys at no additional cost to help drive improvement from every angle of your practice?
1. Point of Care
Our Point of Care tool allows you to address patient concerns on the spot before the leave your facility. The survey is sent to patients on their own devices while they’re still onsite, giving you the opportunity to resolve concerns in real-time.
2. Outcomes Surveys
Global Surgical Outcomes Survey (GSOS)The GSOS survey is sent to surgical patients post-visit to collect feedback about the recovery experience. GSOS works in sync with the Perioperative Surgical Home (PSH) model and ERAS guidelines to identify gaps in care and spot opportunities to improve outcomes.
Emergency Medicine Outcomes Survey (EMOS)The EMOS survey is sent to patients following an Emergency Department visit. It collects patient feedback related to understanding the recovery plan and accessibility to follow-up care.
3. 360° Surveys
As a part of our 360° solution, we offer a variety of internal and stakeholder surveys to help you better understand the perceptions of employees, peers, surgeons, physicians, and third party groups who work with your organization.
Employee SatisfactionThe Employee Satisfaction survey collects feedback to help increase teamwork, reduce turnover, and keep your teams motivated. The survey assesses individual employee perceptions about the organization, professional interactions, performance, job duties, and more.
Peer-to-PeerThe Peer-to-Peer survey aims to increase accountability and awareness of workplace conflict. Employees rate their peers in a number of areas including attitude, communication, competency, responsibility, teamwork, and timeliness.
Physician SatisfactionIntended to prevent physician burnout, the Physician Satisfaction survey gathers insights from physicians about their quality of life in the workplace. Drive positive change with candid feedback from your physicians in a number of areas.
Referring PhysicianMaximize your referral opportunities with the Referring Physician survey. Receive feedback from referring physicians on reports, recommendations, and interpretations they receive.
Anesthesiologist Surgeon SatisfactionThe Anesthesiologist Surgeon Satisfaction Questionnaire gathers important input from surgeons who work alongside anesthesia providers. This survey gives anesthesia providers valuable insights to strengthen relationships and increase safety and efficiency.
Third Party Group EvaluationEnhance your third party relationships with feedback from your hospital and facility partners about your care, safety, responsiveness, clinical competency, cost efficiency, support, and more.
4. CAHPS
SurveyVitals is certified by CMS to administer nine different CAHPS surveys. The transition to value-based care has made CAHPS surveys mandatory for many facilities. The CAHPS surveys we offer are:
- Accountable Care Organization CAHPS (ACO CAHPS)
- CAHPS for MIPS
- Clinician & Group CAHPS (CG CAHPS)
- Home Health Care CAHPS (HH CAHPS)
- Hospice CAHPS
- Hospital CAHPS (HCAHPS)
- In-Center Hemodialysis CAHPS (ICH CAHPS)
- Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgery CAHPS (OAS CAHPS)
- Patient-Centered Medical Home CAHPS (PCMH CAHPS)
Note: There may be an additional cost to administer CAHPS surveys.
Questions?
Have questions about the SurveyVitals solution or any of the surveys we offer? Reach out to us today at support@surveyvitals.com or contact us using the blue chat icon below.
blake August 28th, 2019 Categories: Anesthesia, CAHPS Surveys, Emergency Medicine, featured, Outpatient Practice, Patient Experience
Tags: anesthesia, Improvement, outpatient, patient experience, Patient feedback, Patient Satisfaction, Physician Satisfaction, point of care, SurveysProvider Spotlight: Clint Allred, CRNA, Anesthesia Associates of Boise
Clint Allred, a full-time CRNA for Anesthesia Associates of Boise, was the grand prize winner of our recent Patient Experience Week giveaway. He is performing in the top 25% of anesthesia providers nationally. We asked Clint about his best practices for providing exceptional patient care, and we’re excited to share his responses.
Clint completed his nursing education at Weber State University in 2006, and then attended the University of Tennessee for CRNA training. He has been practicing in Boise since 2011.
What best practices do you and the staff you work with follow that you attribute to your positive scores?
Clint Allred: There is a huge push in our profession to unite with our surgeon colleagues and work toward “enhanced recovery after surgery ” protocols. We have known that there are a lot of different ways to manage the anesthetic of a patient, and each patient requires a different anesthetic. The downside to this is the fact that everyone does something different so the continuity of care is sometimes lacking.
To correct this discrepancy, we created a quality committee within our group. This committee was tasked with reviewing literature along with some of the bigger medical institutes, and then sitting down with anesthesia providers from within our group and developing some protocols for the surgeries that we provide routinely. This initiative at least put all of us on the same page to start with. These protocols deal not only with the patient during surgery, but also some interventions before surgery to improve their outcomes. Since installing these protocols, it has been incredible to see the patient, surgeon, and nurse satisfaction elevate. Every anesthetic still needs to be tailored just right, but this has really helped us be proactive in our decision prep.
What is one example of how you improved your relationship with your patients and/or the care you provide?
Clint Allred: It has amazed me how a little bit of effort goes a long way in ensuring comfort for our patients. It can be something as simple as a warm blanket in the cold metal OR, or talking with the patient on their level trying to take time to explain things.
One thing that we have instituted is in our pediatric population. The inhalational anesthetics that we use have a pungent smell. Kids really hate inhaling that odorous gas. So, we bought a bunch of Lip Smacker chapsticks and then bring the mask to the kids and let them pick out a flavor. They paint the inside of the mask with the flavor they selected and it negates that bad smell when the mask is on their face. Little things like these efforts don’t really take a cumbersome amount of time or energy. They just require a little effort and can really improve the relationship with patients.
What is one thing you avoid doing in order to provide a better experience for your patients?
Clint Allred: The biggest thing I have had to make a conscious effort to try and avoid is just going through the motions with my patients preoperatively. I have always taken pride in the quality of anesthesia care that I provide, but I realized when my son had surgery, that I really needed to change my approach to patients before they even have anesthesia. The day of surgery for patients is an overwhelming experience. Even before you get to the surgery and recovery phase, so much is thrown at them. I found that because administering anesthesia is a routine part of my life, I was just doing the bare minimum to educate and put my patients at ease. We would then whisk them away and go provide anesthesia. My experience taught me that taking an extra five minutes to sit down and talk with the patients about what they were going to experience, both for them and their family members, went a long way to easing their anxiety.
How do you best use your SurveyVitals data for your own personal improvement?
Clint Allred: SurveyVitals definitely serves as a reminder to keep those goals and changes, instituted in my own personal practice, in the forefront of my mind daily. Obviously, I won’t make everyone happy all the time. I used to just shrug my shoulders and act like it didn’t matter. However, what I did find is that when I changed my attitudes and practice – all of a sudden the SurveyVitals data meant something to me. It is a way to drive and improve my practice. I still won’t make every patient happy all the time, but I can take pride in my work and raise the bar for my patients.
blake August 6th, 2019 Categories: Anesthesia, Best Practices, Client Spotlight, featured, Patient Experience
Tags: anesthesia, Best Practice, CRNA, Improvement, patient experience, Patient feedback, Patient Satisfaction, QualityIntroducing the SurveyVitals Improvement Center!
SurveyVitals is excited to announce the launch of the Improvement Center in our client portal!
Our reporting, alerts, and dashboards have given our clients the real-time data needed to identify trends and work toward improving the patient experience. The Improvement Center takes the solution to the next level with a wealth of educational videos and articles to aid providers in targeting improvement where it is needed most.
To get started using the Improvement Center, login to your portal and click ‘Improvement Center’ in the left navigation. Browse general resources on the Improvement Center homepage, or view resources by survey. Survey-specific content is broken down by question group.
Not sure where to start? Use the Report Builder to analyze your data and comments and identify improvement opportunities. Then utilize the resources in the Improvement Center to gain a better understanding of what may help your patients in those areas.
SurveyVitals created the Improvement Center using input from top performers combined with extensive scientific-based research into the patient experience. Check back often for new content as our improvement resources evolve and grow with your solution.
blake May 6th, 2019 Categories: Anesthesia, featured, Outpatient Practice, Patient Experience, Product Features
Tags: anesthesia, Best Practice, Improvement, New Feature, outpatient, patient experience, Patient SatisfactionMIPS 101 for Anesthesia Providers
***Updated January 2020***
Are you an anesthesia provider participating in the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)? Let us tell you how the SurveyVitals solution might help you fulfill certain reporting requirements.
What is MIPS?
The Merit Incentive Payment System (MIPS) is one of two tracks in the QPP, the quality payment incentive program implemented by CMS. A small percentage of clinicians will qualify to participate in the Alternative Payment Models (APM) track, but most anesthesiologists will fall under the MIPS track.
You will receive a performance-based adjustment to your Medicare fee schedule in 2022 based on your MIPS performance in 2020. The amount of the adjustment, either positive, negative, or neutral, is based on an eligible clinician or group’s Composite Performance Score (CPS). The CPS is calculated using data across four categories of measurement.
Who participates?
If you bill Medicare Part B more than $90,000 in allowed charges per year and provide over 200 covered professional services under the Physician Fee Schedule for more than 200 unique Medicare patients a year, then you are part of the QPP. If you do not meet all three criteria, you could be exempt from participating in the program in 2020 under the the low-volume threshold exemption. Clinicians who meet the low-volume threshold may still opt in to MIPS if they meet at least one criterion.
To determine if you are required to participate in MIPS, CMS has provided a resource to check your status by entering your NPI into an eligibility “calculator.”
How are measures reported?
Anesthesiologists have the option to report as an individual, within a group, or within a virtual group.
| Individual | Single NPI tied to a single Tax Identification Number (TIN) |
| Group | Single TIN with two or more eligible clinicians, including at least one MIPS-eligible clinician, as identified by their National Provider Identifiers (NPIs), who have reassigned their Medicare billing rights to the TIN |
| Virtual Group | Combination of two or more TINs assigned to one or more solo practitioners or one or more groups consisting of ten or fewer eligible clinicians |
Reporting mechanisms vary based on reporting type and measure category. You can find more information on reporting mechanisms here.
How are measures selected?
Anesthesia providers and groups can select measures from the list of CMS-approved MIPS measures at the QPP website. Alternatively, they may select to report on Quality performance using specialized measures developed by a Qualified Clinical Data Registry (QCDR) of their choosing. QCDR measures must be approved each year by CMS.
Quality Category
Anesthesiologists are required to report on six measures of their choosing for the quality category. One of those measures must be an outcome measure.
SurveyVitals is equipped to help anesthesia clients utilizing a QCDR to meet an outcome measure (AQI 48 – Patient-Reported Experience with Anesthesia) in the Quality category. You must sign a disclaimer in order to report your patient experience data to a QCDR. View the reporting checklist, quick facts, and important deadlines here.
Improvement Activities (IA) Category
Anesthesia providers are required to participate in a combination of IA measures totaling 40 points. “High-weighted” activities are worth 20 points, while “medium-weighted” activities are valued at ten points. Your SurveyVitals solution can help you satisfy measures in the IA category. Download our “Road-Map to Improvement Activities” or contact us at info@surveyvitals.com to learn more.
In order for a group or virtual group to attest to an improvement activity, at least 50% of the clinicians in the group or virtual group must perform the same activity during any continuous 90-day period in the performance year.
Reporting requirements for Improvement Activities are reduced for non-patient facing clinicians, which are defined as either:
- An individual clinician that bills 100 or fewer patient-facing encounters (including Medicare telehealth services), or
- A group that provided more than 75 percent of the clinician’s billing under the group’s TIN
Those considered non-patient facing must participate in one high-weighted activity or two medium-weighted activities to satisfy the Improvement Activities category (for a total of 20 points rather than 40).
Always remember to check the eligibility calculator on the QPP website to confirm you are considered non-patient facing.
Promoting Interoperability Category
The Promoting Interoperability category places an emphasis on interoperability and patient engagement with certified EHR technology. Eligible clinicians must report on certain measures from four ‘objectives,’ or claims exclusions if applicable. Scoring is performance-based at the individual measure level, for a total of up to 100 points. In 2020, organizations must use the 2015 Edition CEHRT.
Cost Category
The score for the Cost category is calculated using administrative claims data. No data submission is required.
How can SurveyVitals help you succeed with MIPS?
SurveyVitals can help you meet one Quality measure and fulfill the entire Improvement Activities category. Reference the table below to see which measures we can help you meet.
| MIPS Category | Measures We Support | More Information |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | AQI 48 (Outcome) | Anesthesia QCDR Reporting |
| Improvement Activities | High-weighted:
|
Improvement Activities Roadmap |
Want to learn how SurveyVitals can help you prepare for MIPS? Email us at support@surveyvitals.com. You can also send us a message using the blue chat icon below to speak to a member of our support team.
*Note: Information and program details are based solely upon SurveyVitals’ experience with MACRA and our interpretation of CMS rule-making and policy statements. The information presented does not reflect the views or policies of CMS or any other governmental agency and is not to be construed as practice management advice.
blake June 3rd, 2018 Categories: Anesthesia, MIPS Information
Tags: anesthesia, anesthesiologist, CRNA, improvement activities, macra, MIPS, QPP, quality category, quality payment programWorking MOCA 2.0? SurveyVitals Can Help
The redesigned MOCA 2.0 (Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology) allows anesthesia diplomates to complete a variety of new activities to meet the Part 4 Quality Improvement requirement. Diplomates are required to earn a minimum of 50 points during their ten-year MOCA 2.0 cycle by choosing and completing quality improvement activities most relevant to their practice.
Where does SurveyVitals come in?You may be able to use the SurveyVitals solution to fulfill the requirement by completing an improvement plan based on A) 360 professional reviews, or B) patient experience of care surveys. The point value for this activity is 1 point per hour spent on the activity, for a total of up to 25 points.
SurveyVitals’ Anesthesia 360° solution offers surveys for patients, practitioners, administrators, surgeons, and peers to give you a comprehensive look at patient and professional satisfaction.
Don’t know where to start? Your survey dashboard provides a detailed visual of areas scoring the lowest and receiving the most low-score alerts, allowing for quick identification of improvement opportunities. SurveyVitals’ robust reporting options allow you to easily track and measure improvement in these areas over time based on near real-time patient feedback.
How can I attest to meeting this requirement?Diplomates must attest to the activity on the American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) website using the ABA-approved template found here. Your SurveyVitals data can be used to summarize both the Data Summary and the Change in Practice.
More information about the MOCA 2.0 Part 4 requirement can be found on the ABA website.
blake June 1st, 2018 Categories: Anesthesia, Product Features
Tags: anesthesia, anesthesiologist, CRNA, diplomates, Improvement, maintenance of certification anesthesia, MOCA, QualityFeatured Article: Measuring the Patient Experience Digitally & Why It Matters
SurveyVitals CEO Bob Vosburgh shares his perspective on the many reasons to consider patient opinion, beyond reimbursement, in a new article featured in the Anesthesia Business Consultants latest issue of the Communique.
Beyond CAHPS: Measuring the Patient Experience Digitally and Why It Matters By Bob Vosburgh, President, SurveyVitals
Here’s an excerpt:
“For every patient who expresses dissatisfaction or voices concern, there are nine or ten more who keep quiet. However, dissatisfied patients are often some of the most vocal. They are likely to tell at least 20 people about their experiences or go to an online review site.
Why does this matter? Aside from the potential impact on a provider’s reputation, patients who rate practitioners’ bedside manner the worst are far more likely to bring a malpractice suit…”
Read the full article here.
Be sure to let us know what you think in the comments section and share the article with your friends and colleagues.
blake September 14th, 2016 Categories: Anesthesia, CAHPS Surveys, featured, Patient Experience, Press Release
Tags: anesthesia, patient experienceNurses Rate the Highest in These 3 Areas
It is National Nurses Day!
To celebrate, we wanted to highlight what makes nurses so special! Using data from 96,571 SurveyVitals® patient satisfaction surveys received in 2016, we examined nurses’ top scoring areas among patients.
Check out our lists for both the Anesthesia Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (APSQ) and the Standard Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (SPSQ).
Anesthesia APSQ
1. Ensure Comfort
Patients rated nurses highest when it came to ensuring their comfort during the surgical experience.2. Decision Prep
Patients consistently said nurses helped them make more informed decisions about their care.3. Privacy Respected
Nurses scored well among patients for keeping their health information confidential and providing a sense of privacy in the exam room and beyond.Outpatient SPSQ
1. Courtesy
Patients most frequently said nurses were courteous, rating this attribute highest when compared to other areas of the provider-patient relationship.2. Confidence
Patients felt confident in their nurses’ abilities, consistently giving high scores in this area.3. Sensitivity
Nurses scored well among patients for showing sensitivity to their needs and actively listening.*Results derived using mean scores from 87,318 completed Anesthesia nurse anesthetist surveys and 9,253 completed Outpatient nurses surveys. Data collected between January 1, 2016, through May 1, 2016.
What do you think? Is this consistent with your patient feedback scores? Share this article and join the conversation using the hashtag #NationalNursesDay.
blake May 6th, 2016 Categories: Ambulatory and Outpatient Surgery, Anesthesia, featured, Outpatient Practice, Patient Experience
Tags: anesthesia, nurses, outpatient, patient experiencePatient Experience by Age, Gender, Anesthesia or Outpatient
Check out some key takeaways from our Q1 ratings-by-gender wrap-up.
Below are results from 300,660 SurveyVitals® patient surveys for both the Anesthesia Patient Satisfaction Survey (ASPQ) and the Standard Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (SPSQ).
Anesthesia APSQ
Most Satisfied
Females 25-34
Least Satisfied
Females 75+
Using the likert scale of 1-5, the following chart shows gender plots of the Anesthesia patient satisfaction composite score (the mean of all rating questions excluding the overall rating) vs age group.
Anesthesia APSQ
Age Group Breakdown
Individuals aged 25-34 were the most satisfied with their anesthesia provider when compared to other age groups Individuals aged 75+ were least satisfied with their anesthesia providers than their younger counterparts.
Outpatient SPSQ
Most Satisfied
Females 65-74
Least Satisfied
Males 18-24
Using the likert scale of 1-5, the following chart shows gender plots of the Standard patient satisfaction composite score (the mean of all rating questions excluding the overall rating) vs age group.
SPSQ
Age Group Breakdown
Individuals aged 18-24 were the least satisfied with their health providers when compared to their older counterparts. Alternatively, individuals aged 65-74 were the most satisfied with their provider.
*Results derived using composite mean scores from 300,660 completed SurveyVitals patient surveys collected between January 1, 2016, through March 31, 2016 (Quarter 1).
What do you think? Does this correlate with your experience? Do you change care based on gender or demographics? Join the conversation now.
blake April 25th, 2016 Categories: featured, Patient Experience, Product Features
Tags: age, anesthesia, gender, outpatient, patient experiencePress Release – 1 million anesthesia surveys
SurveyVitals® just reached a huge milestone! An anonymous patient completed the 1 millionth anesthesia patient satisfaction survey yesterday morning (August 18, 2015). SurveyVitals prides itself on providing actionable, accurate data, and the value of our national baseline continues to expand with each new survey that is completed. Benchmark your practice, divisions, and physicians against a national, organization, division, or specialty baseline.
We continue to disrupt the outdated model of expensive paper surveys that garner low response rates and provide delayed feedback. We’re proud to say our solution is used by thousands of providers across 58 specialties, and that by first quarter of 2016 we should have 1.5 million surveys in our anesthesia baseline and another 1 million in our outpatient baseline. Here’s to patient satisfaction, quality, and improvement!
blake August 19th, 2015 Categories: Anesthesia, featured, Press Release
Tags: anesthesia, Patient Satisfaction, Quality
Provider Spotlight: Tina Eide, MD, Matrix Anesthesia
Tina Eide, a board certified anesthesiologist from Matrix Anesthesia, was one of the winners of our recent Patient Experience Week giveaway. We asked Tina about the best practices she follows to provide exceptional patient care, and we’re excited to share her responses.
Tina studied medicine at the University of Washington and trained at Virginia Mason Medical Center. Her primary areas of work interest include regional anesthesia, neuroanesthesia, lifestyle/behavior, and anti-aging medicine.
What best practices do you and the staff you work with follow that you attribute to your positive scores?
Tina Eide: [The] Overtake Hospital pre-operative setting includes private rooms for each patient, so interviews can be conducted with a closed door, and a quiet environment. This is instrumental in developing patient trust, explaining anesthetic choices, and creating a safe space for patients to voice anxieties or fears. Also, the pre-op nurses are excellent and gather information ahead of the anesthesiologist meeting the patient, so we don’t have to be entirely reiterative.
I always try to ask several specific questions about a patient. By knowing a few personal details, I can often begin talking about a familiar topic that helps put the patient at ease. I’ve even gotten three patients to sing for me recently!
Finally, I always offer my first name after I’ve introduced myself as Doctor Eide. I give my patient the choice of which to call me, and most prefer calling me Dr. Tina or just Tina. I am able to communicate through this that I am a professional but I am also a human.
What is one example of how you improved your relationship with your patients and/or the care you provide?
Tina Eide: When I first began, I was hesitant to explain all the risks that are inherent to anesthesia with patients. I felt this information might burden them or raise their anxiety prior to surgery. As I grew as a doctor and learned from my patients, I realized that patients are entitled to know the specifics of the care they will receive while under anesthesia. Some patients will decline a total explanation, and this is just fine. Other patients want to know each event that will occur and the possible up and downsides.
I learned that if I was upfront and explicit about the risk discussion, patients were extremely appreciative and their trust in me grew as well.
How do you best use your SurveyVitals data for your own personal improvement?
Tina Eide: I look for the specific comments that patients make about their experiences. Often we only hear general feedback like “great job” but when people relay a certain moment that touched them, or a particular action I did that helped them feel at ease, I am able to repeat that going forward.
I also accept any critical feedback with an open mind and heart. As a doctor, I hold myself to an exceptionally high standard to ‘do no harm’ which can sometimes translate in my mind as ‘make no mistakes.’ Clearly, as a human being, I have to accept that I will make a mistake now and again. If I can hear the critical feedback well enough to learn from it, however, I see it as a growth opportunity rather than something negative.
blake September 16th, 2019 Categories: Anesthesia, Best Practices, Client Spotlight, featured, Patient Experience
Tags: anesthesia, anesthesiologist, Best Practice, Improvement, Our Clients, patient comments, patient experience, Patient feedback, Patient Satisfaction