Dental Associates: Shares patient satisfaction ratings

CONTACT:

Monica Baer, 262-522-9687

mbaer@baercarlson.com

Darin Schumacher, 920-431-1742

dschumacher@dentalassociates.com

DENTAL ASSOCIATES SHARES PATIENT SATISFACTION RATINGS

Company Delivers Transparency with Individual Doctor Reviews

Milwaukee, WI (Sept. 22, 2014) – Dental Associates, Wisconsin’s largest family-owned dental group practice, is now posting patient evaluations of its dentists and clinics on its website. Press Ganey, an independent, nationally recognized healthcare survey company, conducts the patient surveys and supplies the tabulated ratings and feedback to Dental Associates.

“As a company, we’ve always pushed ourselves to be a leader in the healthcare industry and deliver the best patient care possible. I’m proud to say we’re the first and only group dental practice in Wisconsin that’s implemented a completely transparent way for patients to review and select a doctor,” says Anthony G. Vastardis, CEO of Dental Associates. “Since 2003, we’ve conducted ongoing surveys with Press Ganey to hear our patient’s voice. We’ve decided it is now time to share that information in a public way.”

Each dentist at Dental Associates has a profile page on the company’s website, DentalAssociates.com. The profile page features an overall five-point rating for the doctor, nine ratings based on specific questions asked by Press Ganey related to the patient’s interaction with their doctor and patient comments from the past 18 months. The page also includes a headshot of the doctor, details his or her education and lists any professional associations they’re involved in.

Currently, 10 of Dental Associates’ 11 clinics are rated. The company’s newest dental center in the Iron Block Building in downtown Milwaukee opened this July and will post results once Press Ganey has collected enough data to provide statistically valid ratings for the individual doctors and the clinic.

All Dental Associates’ patients with an email address are sent the survey. For those who do not have an email address, mailing addresses are randomly selected and patients are sent the survey by Press Ganey. The survey focuses on a number of different areas, including the patient’s experience with their doctor and Dental Associates overall. The nine doctor ratings query:

Patient likelihood of recommending the doctor

Doctor’s explanation of condition/problem

Doctor’s use of clear language

Confidence in the doctor

Doctor’s concern for questions and worries

Time doctor spent with the patient

Care shown by the doctor

Doctor’s exam/treatment thoroughness

Wait time at the clinic

“Consumers are becoming more engaged and active in their health care so we wanted to give future patients a tool they could use to select a dentist who’s right for them,” says Vastardis. “We’re using a third party firm to ensure the ratings and reviews are completely unbiased.”

The ratings and reviews will be updated regularly as new surveys are received. Patient comments are posted unedited and in their entirety. However, the company does not post comments that are profane, libelous or slanderous or those that risk the privacy of the patient. In addition, some out-of-context comments are eliminated when they don’t relate to the patient’s interaction with their dentist.

Of the 2,228 total comments from the past 18 months, Dental Associates posted 2,165 or 97 percent of those submitted. Only 63 were not suitable to be shared publicly.

“Our website’s Find a Dentist feature already gave consumers the ability to find a dentist or dental specialist in their community,” says Vastardis. “By sharing patient reviews of those dentists, visitors can now choose a new dental provider with confidence.”