Aligning Forces for Quality Evaluation: Consumer Survey Round 1, 2007-2008 and 2010

This survey was conducted as part of the evaluation of the Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q) initiative, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's signature effort to lift the overall quality of health care in 17 targeted communities, reduce racial and ethnic disparities and provide models of national reform. The survey was administered to adults with one or more of five chronic illnesses -- diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, asthma and depression -- in the AF4Q communities and a national sample residing in non-AF4Q communities to provide a basis for comparison between the AF4Q communities and the rest of the United States. Survey questions focused on patient activation; consumer knowledge of publicly available performance reports that highlight quality differences among physicians, hospitals, and health plans; the ability to be an effective consumer in the context of a physician visit; patient knowledge about her/his illness; skills and willingness to self-manage one's illness; the impact of insurance and payment models; and the relationship between out-of-pocket costs and health care utilization.