Ratings & Reviews FAQ

Choosing a doctor is one of the biggest health decisions you’ll make. To get it right, you’ll need to do some research. But how do you know if the reviews you see online are accurate?

At Hartford HealthCare, we believe in supporting your research with access to what verified patients are saying about their experience. Use these star ratings and reviews, with associated comments, as a tool when searching for the perfect doctor.

How do we compile the ratings?
We know the value of any patient satisfaction survey is enhanced when it’s administered independently, so we’ve partnered with Press Ganey, a patient-experience company with more than 30 years’ experience that works with 26,000-plus healthcare organizations to better hear the patient voice. Press Ganey invites patients, randomly selected, to complete surveys about their experience with their clinician. These surveys, sent by U.S. mail or email, seek feedback that helps us provide the best care possible.

What questions do we ask our patients?
Among other questions, the survey specifically asks five questions about the clinician. Patients demonstrate their level of satisfaction using a 0-to-5 scale.

The questions address these topics:

  1. The likelihood the patient would recommend the clinician.
  2. The clinician’s explanations about the patient’s problem or condition.
  3. The concern the clinician showed for the patient’s questions or worries.
  4. The clinician’s effort to include the patient in decisions about treatment.
  5. The clinician’s discussion of proposed treatment options, risks and benefits.

How are star ratings calculated?
Star ratings are available for providers with at least 30 surveys returned by their patients. From those surveys, the mean score for each question contributes to the overall score. That is displayed through a star rating based on the same 0-to-5 scale used in the questions.

Why don’t we see ratings and comments for every clinician?
We will only post ratings and comments for clinicians after we have a valid number of returned surveys that accurately depict a patient experience. If a clinician is new to Hartford HealthCare (less than six months), we do not survey that clinician’s patients. We also will not post comments until a clinician has a minimum of five comments to share. It’s important to base your decision on more than one comment.

What types of comments will you see on our website?
The dignity of our clinicians and patients will be the guiding principle when sharing our rating and comments. You will see both positive and negative comments. Patient names and any identifiable information are prohibited in comments. We also will not share comments that are profane or irrelevant to the clinician-patient experience.

Can anyone complete a survey or post a comment?
No. Our ratings and verified comments are compiled from surveys we receive through our survey partner, Press Ganey. This ensures we share feedback only from verified patients. We will add a limited amount of comments from third-party sources, like Google, onto our clinician pages, but those are not from verified patients and may not represent the experience with that provider.

What if I see a comment I made and want it removed?
Although all comments are posted anonymously, if you recognize your comment and want it removed simply email us at medgroupcommunications@hhchealth.org and let us know the comment you would like us to remove and for which provider.

Connecticut Orthopaedic Institute at St. Vincent's Medical Center