Does Patient Satisfaction Drive Volumes in Outpatient Magnetic Resonance Imaging?

To help quantify the potential microeconomic impact of patient satisfaction in radiology, we tested the hypothesis that patient volume trends reflect patient satisfaction trends in outpatient magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Patient visits (N = 39,595) at distinct outpatient MRI sites within a university-affiliated hospital system during a 1-year period were retrospectively analyzed. Individual sites were grouped as having “decreasing,” “stable,” or “increasing” volume using an average quarterly volume change threshold of 5%. Based on Press Ganey outpatient services surveys, changes in satisfaction scores from the baseline quarter were calculated. Mood's median tests were applied to assess statistical significance of differences in satisfaction score improvements among the three volume trend designations during the 3 post-baseline fiscal quarters. Quarterly volume was stable at 6 sites, increased at 1 site (by 18%), and decreased at 2 sites (by 20%-24%). There was a statistically significant association between volume trend and net change in satisfaction scores for all 5 domains assessed on the Press Ganey survey: Overall assessment (P < 0.0001), Facilities (P = 0.026), Personal issues (P = 0.013), Registration (P = 0.0004), and Test or treatment (P < 0.0001), with median score changes generally higher at facilities with higher volume trends. It can be inferred that patient satisfaction drives volume in this scenario, whereas the converse relationship of volume adversely affecting satisfaction is not observed. Patient satisfaction and volume at MRI sites are interrelated, and patient experiences or perceptions of quality may influence decisions regarding what imaging sites are preferentially utilized.