Doctors Get High Marks as Regence Members Share Opini...( More than 28000 ratings and comm...),Health

More than 28,000 ratings and comments are overwhelmingly positive

PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- An overwhelming majority of Regence members would recommend their doctor to others, according to a popular online survey on the company's member Web site -- myRegence.com. A "Member Feedback" feature on the site allows Regence members to post feedback on their experiences with individual providers, including physicians, dentists, other health care professionals and facilities.

"Our own research and national studies show that patients want to hear from other patients," said David Clark, Senior Vice President of Health Care Services for Regence. "We created the feedback feature so members can share experiences and compare notes. That kind of information helps our members make better decisions about their health care."

According to Clark, 89 percent of those leaving feedback would recommend their provider to someone else. Those statistics come from more than 28,000 reviews posted on the Web site since October 2006.

Initially, the feedback feature allowed members to rate providers on a numeric scale. Since December 2007, members have also been able to leave comments.

"The majority of comments are overwhelmingly positive," said Clark. "Members are reporting very good experiences. That underscores the high caliber of physicians in our networks. When concerns are raised, it is usually about issues such as waiting time, listening skills, billing issues or bedside manner, issues that most physicians are already working to address."

The Member Feedback feature available to Regence members is the first of its kind in the Pacific Northwest/Intermountain region. Similar tools have been offered in other parts of the country, but the response has generally been less enthusiastic.

The feedback tool also lets providers review comments and reply to them. This feature was added after discussions with providers, to help encou
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