A Physician Assistant Is Associated With Higher Patient Satisfaction With Outpatient Orthopedic Surgery

Abstract

Patient satisfaction is increasingly used to assess the quality of care and determine physician reimbursement. Patient characteristics influence patient satisfaction, but the effect of physician practice parameters on satisfaction has not been studied in detail. Outpatient satisfaction scores from 11,059 patients who rated 24 orthopedic surgeons from a single institution were studied. Practice-related parameters were collected in a provider-reported survey. Univariate logistic regressions were used to test the associations between each provider characteristic and the likelihood of receiving a 5-star rating on a selection of 16 Press Ganey patient satisfaction questions. The presence of a physician assistant in the clinic positively affected the 5-star rating for all but 1 of the patient satisfaction questions examined, including overall satisfaction (odds ratio [OR], 1.38; 95% CI, 1.03–1.85; P =.031); the likelihood of being recommended to others (OR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.16–2.14; P =.004); and friendliness/courtesy (OR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.17–2.13; P =.003). However, having a fellow or nurse practitioner in the clinic, treating children, productivity (measured as total relative value units), taking trauma call, and provider distance from home were not associated with higher scores for any of the Press Ganey patient satisfaction questions. Having a physician assistant in the clinic is an actionable, practice-specific characteristic that positively affects patient satisfaction on many levels and may ultimately improve the perception of care. [ Orthopedics . 2022;45(5):e252–e256.]