Winter 2017
Results of our Provider Satisfaction Survey completed in July 2017 indicate that overall satisfaction with Neighborhood improved from 55% in 2016 to 59% in 2017.
Surveying provider satisfaction annually allows Neighborhood to gauge its network providers’ satisfaction with services performed by the Plan. An external survey vendor, Symphony Performance Health Analytics (SPHA), administered the survey and ensured a confidential mechanism for providers to report their experiences with Neighborhood.
Similar to 2016, we surveyed 921 network PCPs and medical specialists between April and July 2017, and 26% responded via mail, telephone or the Internet. Respondents were asked to rate Neighborhood compared to other health plans they work with on a five-point scale: Well below average, Somewhat below average, Average, Somewhat above average or Well above average.
The survey results reveal strengths and some areas for improvement:
- Three-quarters of responding providers (75%) vowed continued support of recommending the health plan to other physician’s practices.
- Continued improvement in provider satisfaction with their Provider Services Specialist’s ability to answer questions and resolve problems was found as the level rating Neighborhood “above average” climbed from 32.2% in 2015, to 45.8% in 2016, and then improved once again to 48.1% in 2017. Performance on this measure exceeded the 2016 SPHA Medicaid Benchmark in 2017 (47.1%), surpassing the quality improvement goal.
- Despite slight improvements in satisfaction from 2016 to 2017, providers remain least satisfied with aspects of Neighborhood’s formulary (variety of branded drugs, availability of comparable drugs to substitute those not included in the formulary), and with the number of behavioral health providers in the network.
- There was one significant difference in satisfaction from 2016 to 2017: a decline in overall satisfaction with the Health Plan’s Call Center service from 49.0% to 38.2%.
- Opportunities for improvement exist in the following areas: Pharmacy, Behavioral Health, and Claims Processing.
Some of the interventions implemented in 2017 to improve provider satisfaction include the following:
- Provider Network Management implemented several Provider Advisory Committees in 2017 to solicit and act upon direct provider feedback as part of the Provider Improvement Strategy.
- Pharmacy and Member Services collaborated on developing a new workflow and appointed a dedicated pharmacist for the Member Services department beginning in early Q2 2017 to help streamline faster resolution for members and providers calling the Member Services Call Center with pharmacy questions.
- Neighborhood implemented reimbursement increases for the Exchange membership in January 2017 and for the Medicaid membership in February 2017.
Neighborhood’s next Provider Satisfaction Survey will be administered in the spring of 2018.