Houston Tops for Patient Trust in Doctors

Satisfaction rates higher in urban areas, survey across U.S. finds.

FRIDAY, Sept. 8, 2006 (HealthDay News) -- Patient trust of doctors is highest in Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Boston, Denver and Philadelphia, according to a new survey.

The survey of 41,148 people also found that doctors in all the nation's 20 largest cities scored higher than doctors in rural areas in terms of trust, whether the patient would recommend the doctor, and other indicators of patient satisfaction.

The results were released by the health-care ratings organization HealthGrades.

In the 20 cities, an average of 66.2 percent of patients said they "definitely, yes" trusted their doctors to make decisions/recommendations in their best interests, compared to an average of 61.1 percent in rural areas.

Here are the results for the 20 cities: Houston (70 percent); Dallas-Fort Worth (69.2 percent); Boston (68.2 percent); Denver (67.9 percent); Philadelphia (67.8 percent); Chicago (67.7 percent); Miami (67.4 percent); Washington, D.C.-Baltimore (67.3 percent); Seattle (66.7 percent); New York (66.4 percent); Detroit (66.3 percent); Cleveland (66.2 percent); Phoenix (64.9 percent); St. Louis (64.5 percent); Tampa-St. Petersburg (64.4 percent); San Diego (64.2 percent); Los Angeles (63.4 percent); Orlando (62.7 percent); Atlanta (62.6 percent); San Francisco (62.1 percent).

The findings, released Thursday, are based on questions asked between July 31, 2005 and July 31, 2006. Patients were also asked: whether they felt their doctor spends an appropriate amount of time with them; whether their doctor helps them understand their medical condition; and whether they would recommend their doctor to other people.

"The same group of cities rose to the top in each of our questions related to doctor satisfaction: Boston, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Houston, Miami, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.," Steve Wood, an executive vice president with HealthGrades, said in a prepared statement.

More information

The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality offers a guide to quality health care.

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