Public Health Care Policies and Their Impact on Patient Satisfaction

Abstract

Health care is a trillion-dollar industry, but without public policies in place to support a sustainable health care system, life would decline. For instance, health care providers now receive decreased payments from federal agencies if their health facility scores do not meet national benchmarks. The purpose of this retrospective, quantitative, comparative study was to examine the extent to which patient satisfaction was impacted by national public health policies in the United States and Canada. The research questions related to how health care reimbursement policies and patients’ financial responsibility of both the eastern United States and eastern Canada would predict country-specific patient satisfaction scores for people 55 to 75 who had a medical procedure in the past 2 years. The independent variables were public policy and financial responsibility and the dependent variable was patient satisfaction. Linear regression only slightly validated the original hypotheses, so logistic regression was utilized for a more detailed interpretation. Using logistic regression analyses with 164 participants, higher satisfaction scores predicted higher satisfaction in the United States (B = 1.95, Wald[1] = 13.47, p < .001) based on shorter wait times for medical procedures and obtaining results, and higher satisfaction scores in Canada (B = 1.94, Wald[1] = 13.60, p < .001) based on the reduced cost associated with medical treatments. The results of this study may be applicable to other locations that face health care reform challenges, promoting positive social change for patients seeking better satisfaction with their health care services.