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Introduction Diabetes is highly prevalent among older adults and can result in adverse health and economic outcomes. Patient satisfaction is an important quality of care indicator that often reflects the extent to which individuals have access to care and the ability to engage in preventive screenings and services needed to postpone or delay adverse outcomes associated with diabetes. Few studies have examined the role of patient satisfaction with care, specifically, among Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes. The purpose of the study is to describe provider satisfaction and associated characteristics among Medicare beneficiaries Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted using nationally representative data from the 2019 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS). Analysis was limited to persons 65 years and older who self-reported having diabetes. Satisfaction of care was the primary independent variable of interest, and it was assessed using the MCBS question ‘Have you been very satisfied, satisfied, dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied with the overall quality of health care received over the past year?’ Responses were recoded into dichotomous variables reflecting those with high satisfaction (very satisfied and satisfied) versus those who are not satisfied (dissatisfied and very dissatisfied). Results Approximately 3,852 individuals with diabetes were included in the study. Among study participants, 96.5% (3684) were satisfied with care and 3.5% (132) were dissatisfied with care. Among those satisfied with care, 52% were females, 68% were non-Hispanic Whites, 53% had more than high school education, 69% had more than a household income of more than $2500 married, 82% lived in a metropolitan area, 56% were married and 46% had obesity. Of those satisfied with care, 76% self-reported a general health status ranging from very good to excellent, 79% self-reported not being on insulin treatment and 79% self-reported having concurrent high blood pressure. In addition, about 82% of those satisfied with care, reported a recent HbA1c level of ≤7.5% or an average blood test of ≤140mg/dl, 64% reported self-testing for blood glucose and 65% of respondents reported having an annual foot examination by a doctor or other health professional. However, only 37% of participants satisfied with care reported participating in a diabetes self-management course, and less than 1% of those satisfied with care reported having an annual eye examination. Conclusion Findings from this study suggest that majority of Medicare beneficiaries are satisfied with care. Study participants who are satisfied with care reported low participation in diabetes self-management course and having an annual eye examination. Future studies are needed to examine the association between satisfaction of care and participation in a self-management course and annual eye examinations as these have implications for long-term diabetes outcomes. In addition, it may be important to undertake qualitative research to explore the determinants of dissatisfaction of care among Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes in order to address their specific needs. |
