Advice to Quit Smoking and Ratings of Health Care among Medicare Beneficiaries Aged 65+

Abstract

Objective: To examine the relationship between physician advice to quit smoking and patient care experiences. Data Source: The 2012 Medicare Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (MCAHPS) surveys. Study Design: Fixed-effects linear regression models were used to analyze cross-sectional survey data, which included a nationally representative sample of 26,432 smokers aged 65+. Principal Findings: Eleven of 12 patient experience measures were significantly more positive among smokers who were always advised to quit smoking than those advised to quit less frequently. There was an attenuated but still significant and positive association of advice to quit smoking with both physician rating and physician communication, after controlling for other measures of care experiences. Conclusions: Physician-provided cessation advice was associated with more positive patient assessments of their physicians.