Skip to main content

Primary care

Measuring quality

Primary care percentages chart

We group the data for measuring primary care quality into the following quality domains:

  • Getting care and information: measures access to care, such as time in the waiting room and appointment scheduling.
  • Care and communication: measures physician/staff communication and satisfaction with quality of care.
  • Staying healthy and care for illness: measures preventive service treatments and care for acute conditions, such as colds and sore throats.
  • Care for chronic conditions: measures care for specific chronic conditions, such as diabetes care.
  • Health information technology and generic prescribing: measures health information technology capabilities to improve safety and experience, measures of medication safety and use of safe effective generic drugs.

Getting care and information

  • Convenient appointments1,2
  • Seeing the doctor of your choice1,2
  • Getting an appointment for routine care1,2
  • Getting an appointment for illness or injury1,2
  • Waiting in the reception area1,2
  • Waiting in the exam room1,2
  • Information by phone during clinic hours1,2
  • Information by phone after clinic hours1,2

Care and communication

  • How well doctor and staff listen1,2
  • Time with the doctor1,2
  • Explanations about tests or procedures1,2
  • Willing to recommend1,2

Staying healthy and care for illness

Adult

  • Preventive care3
  • Alcohol assessment3
  • Healthy weight3
  • Care for back pain7
  • Colorectal cancer screening5
  • Monitoring high blood pressure medications6
  • Monitoring diuretic medications6
  • Care for brochitis4

Child

  • Preventive care3
  • Immunizations4
  • Healthy weight plotted or percentile3
  • Care for a cold4
  • Care for a sore throat4

Care for chronic conditions

  • Optimal depression3
  • Optimal diabetes5
  • Optimal vascular disease5
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease breathing tests5
  • High blood pressure4

Health information technology and generic prescribing

Health Information Technology8:

  • Electronic health record8
  • Computerized test results8
  • Health problems and doctor orders8
  • Preventive care reminders and data8
  • Electronic prescribing8
  • Sending data to affiliated hospitals8
  • Sending data to hospitals outside of system8

Medications

  • Prescribing generic medications3
  • Explanations about medications1
  • Explanations about medication side effects1

Safety assessment survey:

  • Safety culture9
  • Safe use of sample medications9
  • Safe use of anticoagulation medications9
  • Safe use of abbreviations9
  • Refilling medications safely9
  • Controlled substances9

Sources:

  1. 2012 Consumer Choice Adult Survey - Published November 2012; Members as of May 2012
  2. 2012 Consumer Choice Child Survey - Published November 2012; Members as of May 2012
  3. HealthPartners 2012 Clinical Indicators Report - 2011/2012Results
  4. Minnesota Community Measurement 2012 Health Care Quality Report; 2011 Dates of Service
  5. Minnesota Community Measurement 2012Direct Data Submission Results; 1/1/2012 - 12/31/2012 and 7/1/2011 - 6/30/2012 Dates of Service
  6. HealthPartners Annual Monitoring for Patients on Persistent Medications; January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012
  7. HealthPartners Acute Low Back Pain Composite Measure; January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012
  8. Minnesota Community Measurement 2013 Health Information Technology Survey; Administered February 15 to March 15, 2013
  9. HealthPartners Clinic Safety Assessment Survey; Administered June, 2013
Back to top