title: Improving satisfaction in patients receiving mental health care: a case study.
abstract: Patient satisfaction is increasingly becoming an important component of quality for behavioral health care systems. The following report describes Group Health Cooperative's Behavioral Health Services department experiences over a 5-year period in moving from uncertainty about the value of patient satisfaction and the ability to positively impact patient ratings to achieving a significant improvement in patient ratings of satisfaction with mental health care. In this process, the Behavioral Health Department developed a deeper understanding of patient requirements and improvement strategies which could impact these requirements. A description of the results achieved along with the role of quality improvement processes in understanding and improving patient satisfaction in mental health care is presented.
authors.affiliation: Group Practice Division, Seattle, WA 98112, USA. crosier.m@ghc.org
authors.forename: Marlan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Crosier
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: Bradley
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Steinfeld
mesh_terms: D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D058996:Quality Improvement; D014861:Washington