Physician Relations Database
From: M. D. Anderson Department of Performance Improvement
Date: January 15, 2008

Alex Sandoval: Hello my name Alex Sandoval and I'm the Manager of Programs and Systems in the Office of Physician Relations. And I'm here today to talk to you about the value of the referring physician's satisfaction survey. Initiated in March of 2000 the survey was designed to provide ongoing feedback regarding the referral experience of physicians who refer their patients to M. D. Anderson for cancer treatment. We currently administer roughly 700 surveys to local, national, and international physicians per month and provide quarterly reports for 15 multidisciplinary care centers.

We also post an institutional report on the M. D. Anderson internet sight under the institutional reports page. The purpose of the survey is to provide quantitative and qualitative feedback regarding the overall process for physician generated new patient referrals. Survey questions cover these topics: referral process, communications of behavior, and overall satisfaction and loyalty. Also included and reported are open-ended questions which allow referring physicians to elaborate on these topics.

Data from the survey can be used to identify strengths in the referral process as well as opportunities for improvement. Through a service oriented approach the Office of Physician Relations has worked with numerous care centers to develop and promote operational initiatives based on the survey data. In fact one of the goals of the survey is to facilitate the development of recommendations and best practices that can be shared amongst the care centers at the institution.

By understanding the needs and expectations of our referring physicians we can better direct our operational initiatives aimed at strengthening our relationships with them and engaging them to become loyal customers, champions, and advocates of the institution.

If you have any questions regarding the survey or like information as to how this survey can benefit your center or department please contact us at the office of physician relations at extension 22202. Now back to the studio with Duke and Tina.