An examination into the role that choice of provider plays in customer satisfaction

E very form of health care linancing manages the care of Ihe piuient. In particular, health niaintenancc organizations (HMOs) soniciinies are portrayed as "managing" that care so rigidly, that the patients have little opportunity to choose who will treat them or where they will he irealed. Forms of this management, however, vary considerahly. Some plans provide discounts to the patient who selects a physician from a "preferred provider" list. Yet ihcse lists can be so expansive that Ihe patient may see little restriction in choice of provider. In other plans, the patient's choice of provider may be more restricted— limited, for example, to those in a specific health system. Regardless of the plan's actual practice, the patients" perceptions of restriction are important. This perception likely will inlluencc the belief thai they have hccn given the opportunity to receive the best care possible. Our study set out to examine the role ihat choice of provider plays in a patient's satisfaction with the hospital experience. The hypothesis guiding this research predicts that satisfaction with the hospital experience will be lower among patients who perceive reduced choice in