A multi-year SEM model predicting the impact of behavior attributes on overall patient satisfaction

Purpose: Pressure from competition; inflexible third-party reimbursements; greater demand from government, regulatory and certifying agencies; discerning patients; and the quest of healthcare entities for greater profitably place demands and high expectations for service quality impacting overall patient experience. Extending a prior multivariate, single-period model of varied medical practices predicting patient experience to a three-year time period to understand whether there was a change in overall assessment using data analytics. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach: SEM was employed on a per year and aggregated, three-year basis to gain insights into qualitative psychometric constructs predicting overall patient experience and strength of the relationships. Findings: Statistically significant differences were uncovered between years indicating the strength of the relationships of latent variables on overall performance. Research limitations/implications: Study focused on data gathered from a questionnaire mailed to patients who visited various outpatient medical clinics in a rural community with over 4,000 responses during the three-year study period. A higher percentage of female respondents over the age of 45 may limit the generalizability of the findings. Practical implications: Practitioners can gain a broader understanding of different factors influencing overall patient experience. Administrative processes associated with the primary care provider are inconsequential. Patients are not as concerned with patient flow as they are with patient safety and health. Originality/value: This research informs healthcare quality management of psychometrics and analytics to improve the overall patient experience in outpatient medical clinics.