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Show the survey was subcontracted to The Gallup Poll. The results from HSS '96 provide baseline information on the satisfaction of Utahns with their health plan, and may be used as normative measures for the analysis of results from succeeding phases. The data from this survey will also allow an analysis of consumer satisfaction in relation to type of insurance, various measures of health status, health-related experiences, health behavior, and socio-demographic characteristics. For instance, the survey sample allows a comparison among broad categories of insured individuals, including private insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, and other government. No direct questions were asked to identify managed care plans. However, three follow-up questions regarding the choice of physicians were asked that would allow rough categorization an individual's plan as indemnity, preferred provider, or staff model. The eight performance measures included in the HSS '96 are (1) range of services covered, (2) overall quality of care and services, (3) coverage for preventive care and routine office visits, (4) thoroughness of explanations on such things as medical procedures, test results, etc, (5) problems with not being able to get a referral to a specialist, (6) waiting time between making an appointment for care and the date of actually seeing the provider, (7) the health insurance plan overall, all things considered, and (8) intention to switch to a different health plan. These questions are also included in the 1996 Survey of Enrollees in Medicaid-Contracted HMOs. The rest of this article focuses on Phase II of the consumer satisfaction component of the performance measurement project, the Survey of Enrollees in Medicaid-contracted HMOs in Utah. Briefly described are the purposes for the survey, the planning process, the survey implementation, and methods used to evaluate the quality of the data. Also included are some preliminary results, schedule and types of reports, and plans for the next survey. Why the survey was done The survey was conceived with a three-fold objective: (1) to collect information that will allow objective comparison of health plans according to various satisfaction measures, (2) identify the features of care and service that contribute most to enrollee satisfaction, and (3) to examine how subgroups of enrollees (defined by demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, health status, utilization patterns, etc.) differ in rating the health plans as described above. Process The Survey of Enrollees in Medicaid-Contracted HMOs was conceived, planned, and implemented with the voluntary participation of the five Medicaid-contracted HMOs - United HealthCare, Intermountain Health Care of Utah, FHP of Utah, Intergroup Healthcare, and Blue Cross/Blue Shield. [In 1996, Intergroup of Utah ceased to be a contractor for the Medicaid program]. The five HMOs cover 88% of the Utah HMO market (663,360 enrollees in July, 1996), 82% of Utah managed care market, and 100% of Utah's Medicaid, managed care market (Utah Association of Health Care Providers, "Eye on the Market" , 1996). The planning for the survey was coordinated by the Office of Health Data Analysis, Utah Department of Health. All aspects of the planning, including the survey instrument and sampling design was developed in consultation with various experts in the health care community. Through a competitive bid, an independent survey agency (DataStat) was contracted to conduct the survey. The lists of non-Medicaid enrollees sampled for the survey were provided to DataStat by the HMOs. The corresponding list for Medicaid beneficiaries was provided by the Bureau of Managed Health Care, Utah Department of Health. To ensure that privacy of enrollees and confidentiality of data are protected, the Office of Health Data Analysis, DataStat, and each of the health plans signed a memorandum of agreement that contains specifies how to handle portions of the sample files and survey results that identify individual enrollees by name, address, phone number, or account number. The analysis of the survey results and preparation of reports are being conducted by staff of the Office of Health Data Analysis in consultation with a reporting subcommittee comprised of representatives from the HMOs, Medicaid, the Health Data Committee, and other subject matter experts. Survey Instrument The survey instrument was developed through consultation with two groups of Utah's Health: An Annual Review 1996 15 |
