Case Studies Primary Care Clinics Increase Productivity and Patient Satisfaction
The Challenge
A Texas-based network of primary care clinics wanted to maximize the effectiveness of its patient-facing workforce in order to provide the best possible experience for patients across all of its clinics.
The Solution
The clinics began using the Criteria Basic Skills Test (CBST) and the Customer Service Aptitude Profile (CSAP) as selection instruments for their medical assistant positions. Clinic managers ranked all medical assistants on a 5-point scale in nine different categories: teamwork, communication skills, organizational skills, attitude, customer service skills, timely completion of assignments, computer skills, professionalism, and overall performance.
The Results
The tested groups' CBST and CSAP scores were strongly correlated with overall performance (.42 and .41, respectively). Moreover, CBST scores were strongly correlated with all nine of the performance categories individually. Medical assistants who received above average scores on the CBST were rated significantly higher (from .3 to .7 points on a 5-point scale) in every single performance category than those who received below average CBST scores, as detailed in the chart below:
Three years after this case study was performed, the organization is still using Criteria's assessments to evaluate its prospective medical assistants, and reports a sustained increase in productivity and patient satisfaction as a result of implementing pre-employment testing.
