Are Patient Satisfaction Surveys Contributing to the Opioid Epidemic?

Many people are quick to blame doctors for over prescribing pain relievers and medications for the nation’s opioid epidemic. However, doctors are urging us to consider an alternative culprit: patient satisfaction surveys.

Awakening’s for Women, a Florida sober house says patient satisfaction surveys are intended to improve the performance of doctors and hospital staff. They are put into place by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and they help dictate payment for medical services. These surveys cover topics like access to care, quality of care, coordination of care, and overall appointment experience. Typically, questions include “Would you recommend our practice to a family member or friend?” and “What could we have done better?”

What many people fail to realize is that patient satisfaction surveys seem to be contributing to the cycle of addiction: doctors receive higher incomes based off high survey scores, and patients are more likely to give high scores when they leave with the prescription they want. The problem is that instead of running an honest practice, doctors know they will be judged by their survey scores, so to receive high levels of patient satisfaction they are giving in to the patient and prescribing them with the narcotics they request.

The struggle that so many doctors are facing is that a patient who is clearly attempting to obtain medications like Dilaudid, Oxycodone, Percocet’s, or Vicodin for personal reasons will threaten to contact the facilities’ superiors and leave the doctors with bad reviews and bad surveys. These reviews are ultimately affecting doctor’s pay and clientele. For this reason, too many doctors are taking the easy way out to avoid confrontation or negative feedback – which facilitates the ever-increasing opioid wave our country is facing. Many doctors are urging officials to reconsider the weight that patient satisfaction surveys hold, so our country can work toward minimizing the narcotics abuse problem.

Awakenings for Women is a Florida sober house that provides a safe and comfortable environment for women to live drug free.