CALIFORNIA: POLL SHOWS SMALL HMOS PROVIDE MOST SATISFACTION
When it comes to customer satisfaction, smaller, nonprofitThis is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
HMOs lead the managed care pack, according to a study released
yesterday of 40,000 Californians by the Pacific Business Group on
Health. LOS ANGELES TIMES reports that smaller HMOs "once again
outperformed bigger, profit-seeking health care companies in
satisfying their members last year." The survey rated 16
California health insurance companies. The TIMES reports that
two "big Southern California HMOs," FHP/TakeCare and Kaiser
Foundation Health Plan, received high rankings. Silicon Valley-
based Lifeguard Health Care and Health Plan of the Redwoods
received top patient satisfaction ranking for health plan and
physician care. Mike Hyde, chief executive of Lifeguard, said,
"One of the values of being a nonprofit is you can concentrate on
key customers and you don't have to concern yourself with
shareholders. The non-profit plans seem to do better than the
for-profits in these surveys, and I don't think that's a
coincidence."
MAKING THE GRADE: Pacific Business Group on Health said
that "despite the industry's much ballyhooed efforts to improve
quality," the overall satisfaction rates rose "just one
percentage point" to 80% in 1995, compared with 1994. The survey
used "a generous grading system" where an A meant a satisfaction
rating of 80% to 89%, a C rating was from 50% to 69%; no
provisions for a grade of D or F were made even if the HMO
received a zero satisfaction rating. Lifeguard and Health Plan
of the Redwoods both received an A grade for overall member
satisfaction; they received A+ marks for member satisfaction with
their primary care physician. Among the lowest-rated HMOs were
Woodland Hills-based CaliforniaCare, Blue Cross of California's
CaliforniaCare and Blue Shield of California (Olmos, 9/12).