Regional outpatient clinics located a few to several miles from large academic centers have become an increasingly popular model as hospital-based reimbursement structures have gained the advantage of late. From a physician’s vantage, it may appear the central university setting is more attractive as the site with the most ancillary resources and research funding…but does that really matter to most patients? The Northwell system compared Press Ganey Treatment Survey results between its central hub and those of its five community clinics over five years (n=3777, 33% response rate). It turns out, the community clinics scored better, several significantly so when it came to overall care. They also scored better in the domains of pain control, wait time, and likelihood to recommend to others. The reasons why are anyone’s guess, though the authors note the community clinics’ “more personalized attention due to lower patient volume and more easily navigable settings could lead to shorter wait times and higher satisfaction” that outweigh the influences of technology and research staff. | Ma, Adv Radiat Oncol 2023
