The Primary Care Coalition (PCC) is conducting a county-funded Network Adequacy Study to determine if the Montgomery Cares healthcare system for uninsured residents meets patient needs for locations, services, and language capabilities and to understand better what an adequate network should look like. As part of the study, patients are surveyed to identify gaps across the network and learn more about their healthcare experiences and challenges.
“We want to incorporate the voice of the patient as we develop best practices and enhance the Montgomery Cares healthcare network for uninsured residents,” said Dr. Veronica X. Vela, Senior Director of Health Care Access, Primary Care Coalition. “Listening to patients and understanding their experiences and preferences helps us to build a better healthcare system that meets the needs of the community we serve.”
Approximately 450 patients are expected to complete the 10-minute survey. Those coming in for primary care illness and wellness visits this month and next are being asked to respond to the questions, which will be available in six languages, including Spanish, English, French, Portuguese, Amharic, and Mandarin.
“We serve a diverse population. It is important that we communicate with them in a way they can understand,” said Marisol Ortiz, Director of Family Centered Care. The survey questions cover access to care experience and additional service needs, language and interpretation, barriers to healthcare, seeking external care, and demographics.
The patients who agree to respond to the survey questions will receive a $20 VISA gift card to compensate them for their time and expertise. Dr. Vela explained, “Underserved communities have historically not been consulted on services and changes impacting them. This study gives us an opportunity to understand our patients’ needs and values in order to better serve them.”
The surveys began last week and will continue through mid-January. In-person focus groups with patients and providers will complement the survey questions. The results are expected to identify healthcare gaps for uninsured patients and provide critical information to support better care access and experiences. The results will be available in the spring and will likely inform PCC advocacy efforts with Montgomery County.
The survey questions will gather information on how far patients have to travel for care, if transportation is a barrier to access, how costs affect access, how patients feel about the quality of their healthcare providers and staff, what they think about the language and cultural responsiveness of providers, and if there is adequate care coordination within the system. Questions about care sought outside the network and how they learned about Montgomery Cares clinics are also included. Demographic questions about primary languages, race and ethnicity, and preferred gender identities (including LGBTQI+) are also part of the survey.
Survey findings will be reported in a future issue of The Pulse.
“We want to incorporate the voice of the patient as we develop best practices and enhance the Montgomery Cares healthcare network for uninsured residents,” said Dr. Veronica X. Vela, Senior Director of Health Care Access, Primary Care Coalition. “Listening to patients and understanding their experiences and preferences helps us to build a better healthcare system that meets the needs of the community we serve.”
Approximately 450 patients are expected to complete the 10-minute survey. Those coming in for primary care illness and wellness visits this month and next are being asked to respond to the questions, which will be available in six languages, including Spanish, English, French, Portuguese, Amharic, and Mandarin.
“We serve a diverse population. It is important that we communicate with them in a way they can understand,” said Marisol Ortiz, Director of Family Centered Care. The survey questions cover access to care experience and additional service needs, language and interpretation, barriers to healthcare, seeking external care, and demographics.
The patients who agree to respond to the survey questions will receive a $20 VISA gift card to compensate them for their time and expertise. Dr. Vela explained, “Underserved communities have historically not been consulted on services and changes impacting them. This study gives us an opportunity to understand our patients’ needs and values in order to better serve them.”
The surveys began last week and will continue through mid-January. In-person focus groups with patients and providers will complement the survey questions. The results are expected to identify healthcare gaps for uninsured patients and provide critical information to support better care access and experiences. The results will be available in the spring and will likely inform PCC advocacy efforts with Montgomery County.
The survey questions will gather information on how far patients have to travel for care, if transportation is a barrier to access, how costs affect access, how patients feel about the quality of their healthcare providers and staff, what they think about the language and cultural responsiveness of providers, and if there is adequate care coordination within the system. Questions about care sought outside the network and how they learned about Montgomery Cares clinics are also included. Demographic questions about primary languages, race and ethnicity, and preferred gender identities (including LGBTQI+) are also part of the survey.
Survey findings will be reported in a future issue of The Pulse.
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