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How Satisfied Are Physicians and Patients When Medical Groups Control Access to Care?
Utilization management effects on physician/patient satisfaction
From 1994 to 1996, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Medicine examined how the structure and intensity of utilization management in physician groups with capitated contracts affect primary care physician and patient satisfaction.
This was one of the first research projects to look at how the shift in the locus of control from health plans to medical groups is affecting the satisfaction of physicians and patients.
Key Findings
- Patients who had the most difficulty getting access to a specialist were least satisfied with their health plan and most likely to want to change insurance.
- Primary care physicians were less satisfied with the quality of care for capitated patients than for those covered by other insurance types.
Funding
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) supported this project through a grant of $197,013.