Five Star Professional Health and Wellness Program

Transcription

1 Five Star Professional Health and Wellness Program Five Star Physical Therapist and Five Star Occupational Therapist Award Program Summary and Research Methodology Five Star Professional 2900 Lone Oak Parkway, Suite 120 Eagan, MN

2 Five Star Physical Therapist and Five Star Occupational Therapist Award Program Summary and Research Methodology Program Summary Five Star Professional conducts market specific research throughout the U.S. and Canada to identify professionals who provide quality services to their patients. The Five Star Health and Wellness award program identifies award winning physical therapists and occupational therapists who satisfy objective eligibility and evaluation criteria. The lists of Five Star Physical Therapist and Five Star Occupational Therapist award winners for each market are published in the leading city and regional magazine and/or business publication and on fivestarprofessional.com. Award winners do not pay a fee to be included in the research or the final list of winners. Research Objective The research objective is to develop a list of physical therapists and occupational therapists in a given market who satisfy nine objective eligibility and evaluation criteria associated with providing quality health and wellness services to their patients. The award research process is conducted annually in each market. Research Methodology The following steps define the process used to ensure that the research objective is met: A. Award Candidate Identification Process The nomination process is designed to identify the broadest possible population of high quality award candidates. Award candidates are identified by one of three sources: peer nomination, patient nomination or prequalification. Self nominations are not accepted. 1. Define Research Geography and Relevant Population of Therapists The partnering magazine publication defines the geographical area in which the magazine is distributed. This is typically a list of counties, but may also include a list of ZIP codes. 2. Acquire Peer Nomination Lists Within the defined geography, the physical therapist and occupational therapist population data will be acquired via a third party data provider. Five Star Professional

3 verifies the population data through a multiple step process that includes USPS address verification and referencing publically available data sources. 3. Solicit Peer Nomination Five Star Professional administers a peer survey via US Mail to each physical therapy practice identified within the defined geography. Each respondent is asked whom they feel is worthy of nomination for the award and to nominate only those whose work they are familiar with. Self nominations are not accepted. 4. Solicit Patient Nominations Five Star Professional administers a survey by US Mail and/or by e mail to a representative number of participating magazine subscribers. Each respondent is asked: To name only therapists from whom they have received physical therapy or occupational therapy services. If their experiences have been consistent with the American Physical Therapist Association s (APTA) suggestions for choosing a physical therapist. If they would recommend this therapist to a friend. If they feel the fees are reasonable for the services provided. Five Star Professional may also request additional consumer research information from each respondent that will not have bearing on award candidacy. In most cases, a No response by any one patient to any one or multiple questions cannot remove a therapist from consideration. 5. Identify Pre Qualified Award Candidates Internal and external data sources are used to identify relevant and high potential candidates. Multiple pre qualification attributes are considered and may include years in the industry and professional credentials, among others. 6. Collect Peer Nominations and Verify Validity Five Star Professional collects peer recommendation surveys submitted via US Mail and online response. Five Star Professional s research staff reviews the responses for completeness of required information and to guard against self nomination. In the event of questions, the research staff contacts the peer that submitted the recommendations. 7. Collect Patient Nominations and Verify Validity Five Star Professional collects recommendations submitted via US Mail and through Five Star Professional s web based evaluation system. Five Star Professional s research

4 staff reviews evaluations for completeness of required information and to guard against self nomination. 8. Verify Award Candidate License and Contact Information Each award candidate is matched to a regional or national license number. Once found on the applicable license/registration site, each therapist s license status (active or nonactive) and disciplinary history are noted. In order to be named a Five Star Physical Therapist or Five Star Occupational Therapist, an individual must have an active license with the applicable regulatory authority and have a favorable regulatory and complaint history. B. Selection Process 1. Collect Award Candidate Data Five Star Professional contacts each award candidate with instructions for submitting information about themselves and their practice, including specific data related to eligibility and selection criteria. Award candidates are required to certify the information they provide is accurate. Those who satisfy the following nine objective eligibility and evaluation criteria associated with providing quality services to patients receive the Five Star Physical Therapist or Five Star Occupational Therapist award. Evaluation Criteria Required 1. Active license with applicable regulatory authority 2. Actively practicing as a physical therapist or occupational therapist for a minimum of five years 3. Favorable regulatory and disciplinary history review 4. Currently accepting new patients Evaluation Criteria Considered 5. One year cancellation/show rate 6. One year units per hour rate 7. Three year average patient visit rate 8. Current Professional Credentials 9. Academic Credentials 2. Evaluate Award Candidates Once the data forms are collected, award candidates are evaluated based on the nine eligibility and evaluation criteria. 3. Award Winner Notification

5 Five Star Physical Therapist and Five Star Occupational Therapist award winners are notified of their inclusion on the final list of award winners. Those candidates who do not qualify are also notified accordingly. C. Award List Publication The contracting magazine publishes an article, prepared by Five Star Professional, which describes the evaluation process and determination of award winners, and presents the resulting lists of Five Star Physical Therapist and Five Star Occupational Therapist award winners. Five Star Physical Therapist and Five Star Occupational Therapist award winners are also listed on fivestarprofessional.com. Award winners do not pay a fee to be included in the research process or to be named as a Five Star Physical Therapist and Five Star Occupational Therapist award winner. In connection with the publication of the article, award winners may elect to pay a fee to further promote their status as a Five Star award winner or to include a photo and profile information in the profiles section that accompanies the magazine article. For additional fees, Five Star Professional will provide reprints of the section article and provide the award winner with other tools to further publicize their award. An award winner s purchase of a profile, reprints or other services does not influence Five Star Professional s determination of whether to include or exclude a particular therapist from any list of winners. The Five Star Physical Therapist and Five Star Occupational Therapist lists are not a ranking of health and wellness professionals, but rather a roster of those who satisfy objective selection criteria associated providing quality services to their patients.