Dental Associates Shares Patient Satisfaction Ratings
September 22, 2014
Dental Associates, Wisconsin’s largest family-owned dental group practice, is now posting patient evaluations of its dentists and clinics on its website. Press Ganey, an independent, nationally recognized health care survey company, conducts the patient surveys and supplies the tabulated ratings and feedback to Dental Associates.
“As a company, we’ve always pushed ourselves to be a leader in the health care industry and deliver the best patient care possible. I’m proud to say we’re the first and only group dental practice in Wisconsin that’s implemented a completely transparent way for patients to review and select a doctor,” says Anthony G. Vastardis, CEO of Dental Associates. “Since 2003, we’ve conducted ongoing surveys with Press Ganey to hear our patient’s voice. We’ve decided it is now time to share that information in a public way.”
Each dentist at Dental Associates has a profile page on the company’s website, DentalAssociates.com. The profile pages feature an overall five-point rating for the doctor, nine ratings based on specific questions asked by Press Ganey related to the patient’s interaction with their doctor and patient comments from the past 18 months. The page also includes a headshot of the doctor, details his or her education and lists any professional associations they’re involved in.
Currently, 10 of Dental Associates’ 11 clinics are rated. The company’s newest dental center in the Iron Block Building in downtown Milwaukee opened this July and will post results once Press Ganey has collected enough data to provide statistically valid ratings for the individual doctors and the clinic.
All Dental Associates’ patients with an email address are sent the survey. For those who do not have an email address, mailing addresses are randomly selected and patients are sent the survey by Press Ganey. The survey focuses on a number of different areas, including the patient’s experience with their doctor and Dental Associates overall. The nine doctor ratings query:
- Patient likelihood of recommending the doctor
- Doctor’s explanation of condition/problem
- Doctor’s use of clear language
- Confidence in the doctor
- Doctor’s concern for questions and worries
- Time doctor spent with the patient
- Care shown by the doctor
- Doctor’s exam/treatment thoroughness
- Wait time at the clinic
“Consumers are becoming more engaged and active in their health care so we wanted to give future patients a tool they could use to select a dentist who’s right for them,” says Vastardis. “We’re using a third party firm to ensure the ratings and reviews are completely unbiased.”
The ratings and reviews will be updated regularly as new surveys are received. Patient comments are posted unedited and in their entirety. However, the company does not post comments that are profane, libelous or slanderous or those that risk the privacy of the patient. In addition, some out-of-context comments are eliminated when they don’t relate to the patient’s interaction with their dentist.
Of the 2,228 total comments from the past 18 months, Dental Associates posted 2,165 or 97 percent of those submitted. Only 63 were not suitable to be shared publicly.
“Our website’s Find a Dentist feature already gave consumers the ability to find a dentist or dental specialist in their community,” says Vastardis. “By sharing patient reviews of those dentists, visitors can now choose a new dental provider with confidence.”
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Founded in 1974, Dental Associates is Wisconsin’s largest family-owned dental group practice with 15 clinics throughout the state and nearly 850 staff members, including over 90 doctors and 629 operatories. Dental Associates provides complete family dental services, both general and specialty dentistry, from pediatric dentistry to specialized dental services for older adults, with an emphasis on excellent care that is affordable, accessible, and personalized. Dental Associates is the exclusive provider for CarePlus Dental Plans.
CONTACT INFO:
Lexi Radke
lradke@dentalassociates[dot]com
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