Theodore (Ted) D. Smith, DO

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ARC Patient Feedback

Guide to ARC Patient Feedback and Ratings

Austin Regional Clinic (ARC) doctors, staff, and leadership are committed to providing our community with high quality convenient care. One of the ways we demonstrate this priority is through our online transparency.

You can review our provider ratings and comments on our web site with the confidence that they are all based on verified visits. We post all patient feedback relevant to the entire visit and only refrain from posting comments that are libelous, profane, or those that risk the privacy of our patients.

The below guide provides details about how we collect and share our patient feedback.

Who runs the survey?

ARC partnered with Press Ganey to collect patient feedback about their doctor’s visit. We gather feedback from text surveys that are sent after the visit. Press Ganey is an independent third party customer feedback company that provides the technology to collect the feedback and display ratings and comments on our web site. All ratings are submitted by actual patients and verified by ARC.

How do patients receive the survey?

Patients for whom we have a mobile phone number receive a text survey within two hours of checking in for their visit. Patients are asked to complete the survey and provide ratings and comments regarding their experience at different touch points of their visit. We use this feedback to recognize doctors and staff, identify issues we can correct, and enhance our care.

Do you post all positive and negative comments?

ARC posts all positive and negative patient feedback that is relevant to the entire visit. We refrain from posting comments that are libelous, profane, or those that risk the privacy of our patients.

What questions do we ask?

ARC asks questions that touch on the overall patient experience related to their visit. Anyone seeking detailed information about each question can view the ratings for each specific question on the Reviews tab on the provider bio page on the website. We calculate our provider star ratings based on the responses to question number six below. We calculate our location star ratings based on the responses to all the below questions.

1. Rate how easy it was to make your appointment.
2. Rate the helpfulness of the front-desk staff.
3. Rate the helpfulness of the doctor's nurse and/or medical assistant (MA).
4. Did the healthcare provider or doctor provide the care you expected?
5. How likely is it that you would refer a friend/family member to this doctor or NP/PA?
6. Please let us know anything that you particularly liked or disliked about your experience with today’s office visit.

Why don't all providers display a rating?

Since more recent data provides a more accurate picture, we require a minimum of 30 patient surveys per doctor in the last 12 months before we post a physician’s rating.

Why can I only see comments from the last 90 days?

ARC physicians and staff review all comments and act to rectify issues. Since the purpose of the feedback is to allow us to improve the overall patient experience, we display the last 90 days of comments which are the most relevant for the practice.

Can anyone complete a survey or post a comment about a physician?

No. Only patients having an outpatient visit by an ARC physician receive a survey. The results are based entirely from patients who have actually been treated by the physician in our clinics.

How is patient information protected?

Comments are reviewed and approved prior to being published to the website. If a comment contains any personally identifiable information, that information will be removed from the comment.