Thursday afternoon's Academic Council meeting focused on the results of the Member Health Care survey, which evaluated responses to the University's managed care plan.
Sixty-seven percent of those who responded to the survey reported that they were satisfied with the current health care system. Areas identified as most in need of improvement include decreasing the amount of time patients spend in waiting rooms, easing the usage of claim forms and increasing an overall understanding of the system.
"Once you get in to see your primary care provider, you feel pretty good about the care you are receiving," said John Payne, a research professor at the Fuqua School of Business. Payne is also chair of the Academic Council's Faculty Compensation Committee, which assisted in the expedition of the survey.
The survey is not specific to the University, but is nationwide and necessary for accreditation of the health care system. While accreditation is not needed for the plan to operate, Ken Spenner, professor of sociology and committee member, said accreditation will encourage potential patients to select the University's system.
A nationwide survey allows the University to compare its health care system with others. "We need an external standard to see that we're OK," he said.
Because of the broad nature of the survey questions, some faculty expressed concern that the results did not adequately represent those who use the managed care system most frequently.
To address that point, Payne said the survey should be the beginning of a comprehensive review of the University's managed health care system. "This University spends many millions of dollars each year and [the committee] thinks a percentage of money could be used to collect that data" necessary to establish a comprehensive health care system, he said.
Further discussion of the survey results is scheduled for next month's meeting.
IN OTHER BUSINESS: David Ferriero, vice provost of library affairs, reported the strategic plan for the Perkins Library system that will be implemented over the next four years.
"The building Perkins, collections and technology. Those are the three priorities," Ferriero said.
Within these broad categories, the University is considering a switch from the Dewey Decimal to the Library of Congress classification system. Although maintaining the current system has many benefits, Dewey decimal classification is only used by two other major universities-Northwestern University and the University of Illinois.
Ferriero also said he would like to create a more intellectual environment by designating specific areas for conversation between members of the University community. "To take the concept of the Perk, and do a little better job at that," he said.
The library system also wishes to "beef up" its current endowment partly in an attempt to encourage greater utilization of technology in the classroom, construct a new storage facility and pay for the increasing prices of serial publications.
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