For Hub City Times

MARSHFIELD — As consumers look to renew their commercial health insurance plans, searching for a plan via health care exchanges, or looking for a new provider, it is important to know about the provider who will care for their families.

Marshfield Clinic now offers patient comments, in addition to provider scores based on patient surveys, publicly on its website. Marshfield Clinic is one of a small number of health care organizations in the U.S., and one of two in Wisconsin, to share Press Ganey patient-based provider scores and comments publicly.

“We’re excited to be a market leader in providing information that allows patients and potential patients to make the right health care decisions for them and their families,” said Dr. Brandon Parkhurst, patient experience medical director at Marshfield Clinic. “This initiative allows us to build trust with the individuals and communities we serve.”

In May Marshfield Clinic debuted provider scores on its website in the interest of patient experience and public transparency. Providers receive a score on a one-to-five scale derived from the “care provider section” of medical practice surveys.

Now, comments provided by patients from those same surveys are included.

Some providers may not have a rating or comments if they have fewer than 30 returned surveys over a 12-month period. Also, only providers using the medical practice survey have a star rating or comments. Urgent care, hospitalist, dental, outpatient services, or ambulatory surgery providers use different surveys.

More than 1,000 patient comments currently on the website are based on surveys from April, May, and June and will be updated monthly.

“Patient experience is as vital to patients as the world-class health care we provide,” said Marshfield Clinic Executive Director Dr. Narayana Murali. “Public transparency gives honest feedback from patients to people who are considering the health care we provide.”