140,000 HMSA members
get chance to rate doctors
Hawaii Medical Service Association members have an opportunity to rate the performance of their doctors in a survey by HMSA.
The annual survey is being mailed to 140,000 members through April to gauge their satisfaction with their health plan; access to care, physicians and specialists; delivery of medical services; and other factors.
About half of the members have responded in the past. The findings are reported each year in the fourth quarter.
Dr. Richard Chung, HMSA vice president and medical director of care management, said the information "helps us focus on any potential areas where we and our participating physicians might do more in terms of delivering quality care.
"It is one important way we get direct, confidential feedback from our members."
Participating doctors receive aggregate survey results for their patients, as well as total results, so they can compare their patients' satisfaction with those of the total group surveyed.
Cliff Cisco, HMSA senior vice president, said, "Despite the pressure of rising health care costs, health care consumers in Hawaii enjoy the benefits of a system that is almost exclusively nonprofit."
He said nearly every plan in Hawaii is a nonprofit plan, resulting in Hawaii having one of the lowest health plan rates in the nation.
OmniTrak Group Inc. is conducting this year's survey of members of HMSA's Preferred Provider Plan, Health Plan Hawaii, HMO Hawaii, 65C Plus and Federal Plan 87.
HMSA members who have questions or need help with the survey are asked to call OmniTrak at 866-528-4050.
The Hawaii Insurance Division released results of a 2003 member survey it commissioned last month that gave HMSA the highest score in all 10 survey categories.
HMSA said it scored highest of any health plan in Hawaii and ranked in the top 10 percent of health plans nationally.
Participants in the 2003 survey rated their health plan, doctors, care and services.
