Physician ratings and reviews

Children's Wisconsin is committed to providing you the information you need to make informed decisions about your pediatrician. As part of that commitment, we post our patient satisfaction ratings online. To assist you, we've developed this guide.

About our survey

All ratings are submitted by actual patients and are verified by a leading independent patient satisfaction company, National Research Corporation. National Research Corporation provides the technology to display ratings and comments on our provider profiles and practice pages.

Who receives the survey?

The survey is sent via U.S. Mail to selected Children's primary care patients within a few days following their appointments. Patients are asked to complete the survey and provide comments regarding specific aspects of care. We use this feedback to improve and enhance the care we offer.

Do you post all comments?

Both positive and negative comments are posted, with these exceptions:

• Offensive, slanderous, libelous, or profane language
• Names or detailed descriptions that jeopardize patient privacy/confidentiality
• Comments about other providers, departments, or instances of care

What questions do we ask?

We use the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Clinician and Group Practice survey, which was developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality for use in hospitals and medical practices across the country. The surveys ask patients to evaluate how well their physician communicated, listened, and showed courtesy and respect toward them. Results are used to evaluate patients' overall perception of care and to identify areas for improvement.

We calculate our star ratings based on responses to the below questions from the CG-CAHPS survey:

• During your most recent visit, did this provider explain things in a way that was easy to understand?
• During your most recent visit, did this provider listen carefully to you?
• Did you talk with this provider about any health questions or concerns?
• Did this provider give you easy to understand instructions about taking care of these health problems or concerns?
• Did this provider seem to know the important information about your medical history?
• Did this provider show respect for what you had to say?

Overall rating question

• Using any number from 0 to 10, where 0 is the worst provider possible and 10 is the best provider possible, what number would you use to rate this provider?

Which providers are included in the ratings?

Only Children's primary care providers are included in the ratings.

Why don't we see patient ratings and comments for every Children's provider?

Industry best practice is clear that more data provides a more accurate picture. That's why we require a minimum of 30 completed patient surveys per provider before we post a provider's rating. Over time, with more surveys received on an ongoing basis, the number of rated providers will increase.

Can anyone complete a survey or post a comment about a provider?

No. Only patients having an appointment with a Children's primary care provider may be selected to receive a survey.

How is patient information protected?

Patient names are not displayed through the online ratings and commentary reviews. All personally identifiable information is removed prior to display.