Report: Lincoln consumers most satisfied with health care

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By JEAN ORTIZ / Lincoln Journal Star

National Research Corp., a Lincoln company that measures performance of the health care industry, released its first national health satisfaction index - and it gives top marks to Lincoln providers.

The Lincoln Metropolitan Statistical Area, including Lancaster and Seward counties, led the national list with 83.74 percent of those polled rating their last hospital, emergency room or clinic visit as excellent or very good.

Another 11.78 percent marked it as good, 3.43 percent rated it fair and 1.06 percent called their experience poor.

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BryanLGH medical center

BryanLGH medical center

Top 10 satisfied health care markets

Metropolitan statistical areas that received high satisfaction ratings:

Lincoln 83.74

Sioux Falls, S.D.

82.17

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

81.66

Tyler, Texas

80.47

Fort Wayne, Ind.

80.41

Appleton, Wis.

79.81

Saginaw-Saginaw Township North, Mich.

79.59

Holland-Grand Haven, Mich.

79.53

Manchester-Nashua, N.H.

79.03

Binghamton, N.Y

78.57

Source: National Research Corp.

Nationally, 70 percent of consumers surveyed rate the care they received as very good or excellent. Three percent rated their care as poor.

Sioux Falls, S.D.; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Tyler, Texas, and Fort Wayne, Ind., rounded out the top five markets.

The Omaha-Council Bluffs area ranked 15th with 77.51 percent.

The index was culled from National Research’s Healthcare Market Guide survey, said Ginny Martin, president of the Healthcare Market Guide division. That survey involves more than 200,000 households across the country and has been conducted annually since 1987. It queries consumers on a variety of topics, including hospital visits, health systems, health plans, doctors’ offices and retail medical clinics, among others.

The index was compiled now because health care has become such a big issue and the health care industry is becoming increasingly influenced by consumer perception, Martin said.

It’s interesting food for thought, considering other national polls tend to indicate the health system needs an overhaul, she said.

“It puts a different light on the issue,” said Martin, who was somewhat surprised at the high rates of satisfaction.

Surprising as well is that Lincoln, home base for National Research, topped the list, which was just sheer coincidence, Martin said.

She didn’t have any easy answers in explaining how Lincoln landed on top of the subjective survey.

“It’s hard to know what makes people satisfied,” she said.

Among her best guesses — consumers could just be happier here than elsewhere, the size of the community may weigh in or more consumers may be noticing improvements made by providers, she said.

She also pointed to the regional trends that popped up in the results. The area including Nebraska, Kansas, the Dakotas, Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri rated the most satisfied, while the Middle Atlantic region including New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania reported the least amount of satisfaction.

Looking back to information collected in 2005, the percent of Lincoln consumers ranking care as very good or excellent grew by 5 percent, putting it among the 25 most-improved markets.

Improvement is reflected on the national scale as well. Some 34 percent of respondents across the country rated care as excellent, which is up from 30 percent three years ago.

The index also serves as a reminder that there is room for improvement, and that’s something providers should strive for, Martin said.

The hospital market today is more competitive than ever and hospitals need to understand how consumers feel about their quality because when it comes down to it, the patient drives demand for health care, she said.

The results are encouraging, particularly that the Lincoln area finished higher than the national average, said Ken Foster, BryanLGH Medical Center vice president for regional development and strategic planning. It’s reflective of the medical center’s own surveying of patients, he said.

He chalks up the satisfaction to a variety of factors including the talent of the medical and hospital staff. He also pointed to the availability of technology that reduces patient stays, making the overall experience less traumatic.

The numbers as well serve as motivation, he said.

“Even though they’re good, we know they can be better,” he said.

Reach Jean Ortiz at 473-7107 or jortiz@journalstar.com.