the next generation of survey protocols

The Next Generation of Survey Protocols

When 75-80% of your patients throw your survey away, is that state of the art?

When you pay 25-35% more per completed survey, is that state of the art?

When you have to wait several months for the results of a mailed survey, is that state of the art?

what is state of the art for mailed surveys?

State of the art is…

what is state of the art?

ExampleIf you pay $2.05 per mailed survey (including survey data entry), have a 20% response rate and add the typical $0.75 for report costs per completed survey, you’re actually paying $11.00 per completed survey. MTC’s Hybrid Protocol is less than half that cost.

… reducing the cost for a typical mailed patient satisfaction survey and reporting by 25 to 35% and the cost of live operator surveys by 50% to 75%



Cost per survey mailed includes the form, outbound postage, inbound postage, scanning and data compilation. The $0.75 report fee is a typical report fee amortized over all surveys completed.

Mailed Survey Response Rate

10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%$1.68/attempt + $0.75/Survey Report Fee $ 17.55 $ 11.95 $ 9.15 $ 7.47 $ 6.35 $ 5.55

$1.90/attempt + $0.75/Survey Report Fee $ 19.75 $ 13.42 $ 10.25 $ 8.35 $ 7.08 $ 6.18

$2.05/attempt + $0.75/Survey Report Fee $ 21.25 $ 14.42 $ 11.00 $ 8.95 $ 7.58 $ 6.61

MTC = $5.35 Flat Fee/Survey Including Reports $ 5.35 $ 5.35 $ 5.35 $ 5.35 $ 5.35 $ 5.35

The True Cost of Mailed SurveysResponse Rate/Participation Rate =

% of Surveys Completed and Returned as a Percentage of Those Mailed Out



ExampleWith mailed surveys you pay for each survey attempt. The lower the response rate, the higher the cost per completed survey. With MTC’s Hybrid Protocol you only pay for completed surveys. You Pay for Performance.

… When you Pay for Performance – you only pay for completed surveys



… a superior participation rate that gives credibility and allows you to reliably project survey results over the whole population.

Credibility comes when your survey participation rate equals or exceeds the Gold Standards set by CAHPS or California’s Pay For Performance survey protocols. (35% - 60% survey participation rates)

No more, “The response rate was too low so you can’t say my score is accurate or unbiased.”

what is state of the art?State of the art is…

… a complete patient satisfaction management report on the previous month’s patient visits within days of the close of the month. No more waiting 2 – 4+ months between the patient visit and the survey report.

ExampleCamino Medical Group, one of our clients, received their report for August visits on September 8th. How long does your survey vendor take to deliver a complete patient satisfaction report on visits from last month? Timely management metrics are more valuable in change management than old data.


… consistent and predictable “n” sizes. for each provider, location, specialty or division.

The Mailed Survey Under/Over Sampling Problem:Too many responses for any one provider wastes money. Too few responses diminishes the survey credibility because of bipolar skewing of patient opinions. (An over representation of very satisfied or very dissatisfied patients in a low response rate survey.) MTC’s Hybrid Protocol saves money and preserves the integrity of your survey by stopping when goals are met and continuing to survey when individual physician response rates are lower – all for a fixed price per completed survey.


… a survey methodology that is not self-serving and cannot be manipulated by providers, office staff or patients.

Comment:Even well managed in-house surveys are subject to suspicion of being able to be manipulated. Self-selection by patients of survey opportunities introduces another negative bias. MTC handles all the database de-duplicating, randomization and selection management protocols to ensure a statistically significant and credible result.


… a “Green” survey methodology. When you compare the environmental impact in the paper production, the processing, the mailing and the delivery of thousands of surveys or a telephone call, which has a greater environmental impact?



• lower cost and higher participation rates

• timely reports with clear and actionable data to facilitate and support positive behavior change

•comprehensive and customizable surveys and reports to meet your specific needs

• simple and convenient methods of surveying that patients vastly prefer over mailed surveys

State of the art is the MTC Hybrid Survey Protocol

Our live operators call the patients at home, ascertain that the patient remembers the visit, explain the purpose of the survey and ask the patient to participate in the survey. They are then transferred to an automated survey using Interactive Voice Response (IVR).

The patient hears recorded survey questions and answers them using their telephone keypad. The patients may also be given the option of digitally recording comments during “open-ended” questions.

our innovative approach

Each patient hears exactly the same question worded exactly the same way. This eliminates operator leading bias and creates a high level of data creditability and precision.

Patients prefer this method, as can be seen in our outstanding participation rate – survey participation rates between 40% and 70% are typical.

This hybrid of live operator and IVR keeps our participation rate high and the per survey cost of data collection low.


Our “Red Alert” feature allows you to set “trigger” points for negative responses; receive an email within seconds of the survey completion and log on to a secure Web site for complete response information so you can make an informed and effective service recovery call.


Comparing to other physicians and groups can be a useful tool for motivating change and choosing where to apply resources. MTC offers national normative database comparison reports at no additional charge:

• Group/Facility/Location/Specialty/Provider Reports

• Normative comparisons using specialty and overall provider mean scores

• Detail reports by question and graphical summaries


National Normative Database:

We offer custom:

• Printed reports

• Web reports

• Excel reports

• PDF reports

• Database extracts for in-house reporting systems.


Reports:

Behavior change depends on timely and credible data. If the data isn’t timely, doesn’t have a high participation rate and a sufficient “n” value, physicians don’t find the data to be credible.

We deliver results more quickly than any mailed survey and at a much lower cost. It is the best of all worlds.

what makes us different?Partial Client List• Camino Medical Group• Palo Alto Medical Foundation • Santa Cruz Medical Foundation• Physician Associates of the Greater San Gabriel Valley• Mills Peninsula Medical Group• John Muir Medical Group• Facey Medical Group

is cost effective

We are generally 25-35% less expensive than mailed surveys. We often save 50% or more when compared to live operator surveys.

is accepted

Our participation rates far exceed mailed surveys. Typically, 40-70% of patients we contact will complete the survey. Senior citizens response rates are among the highest.

is accurate

No partially completed “bubbles” that need to be marked by staff. There is no inadvertent “leading” or “influencing” of responses that can happen with live operators asking the questions.

our data collection process

is scalable

We can do 500 or 500,000 surveys using our system. Our live operators are five times more productive than a live operator survey done without Interactive Voice Response.

is tested

More than 500,000 surveys have been collected using this method, covering in excess of 3,200 physicians.

is credible

Timely reports received within weeks of a visit are more believable than reports received months after the date of service. Further, low response rates with mailed surveys can create an overly positive skewing of responses where those who are very satisfied are over represented in the data – resulting in inflating scores.


is flexible

Questions can be added or changed in a single day, and the modified survey put in the field immediately. No loss of time or wasted forms.

is precise

Clients receive exactly the desired number of surveys per physician or department .

is reliable

Our customers love our consistent results. They do not have over-sampling or under-sampling problems common with mailed surveys.


our data collection processisn’t it time?

Simply put, we offer a premium survey system that produces the most accurate and timely results and reports at the most competitive price.

We deliver exceptional care and customer service to our clients by providing new tools and improved management metrics to motivate physicians, providers and their staff to deliver the highest quality of customer service.

If this service makes sense to you and you would like more information, please call:

Guy Swenson [email protected]

contact us

Management and Technology Consultants 7545 Rockville Road Indianapolis IN, 46214

Phone: (317)272-0068 or (800)295- 9681 Fax: (317) 272-0069

Dale MayNational Sales [email protected]

the next generation of survey protocols

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survey credibility

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