HMOS: PBGH Report Cards Give State HMOs High Marks
Two report cards released today by the Pacific Business Group on Health found that two out of three California HMO members "were satisfied with the overall state of their health care," the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The first report card, which evaluated 10 HMOs, relied on surveys from 4,700 members in 16 health plans. According to the survey results, United HealthCare received the highest approval rating with 74%, while Cigna HealthCare had the lowest rating at 58% (9/25). The survey also found that 79% of respondents gave their HMOs "high marks" for "timely treatment of illnesses or injuries." Leslie Rose, a spokesperson for PBGH, said, "Despite all the negative press accounts, people seem generally satisfied with their own health care." In Orange County, 66% of respondents gave managed care companies high approval ratings for quality of medical treatment (Wolfson, Orange County Register, 9/25). A similar report card, which rated 14 medical groups in northern California, was based on surveys of 30,000 patients enrolled in 60 medical groups statewide. In northern California, 68% of respondents generally approved of their medical group, with Brown and Toland and Palo Alto Medical Foundation receiving the highest ratings (San Francisco Chronicle, 9/25).
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