Payer Rankings Don't Tell Providers' Stories

Stumpp was also quick to say that providers are improving, specifically United.

"My personal experience with United Healthcare has been they now have dedicated provider advocates and town hall meetings. I think it has helped, but unfortunately the national survey did not reflect that."

Cigna has also focused on improving the experience for healthcare providers, says Julie Vayer, Cigna's chief operating officer for its Total Health & Network organization. "We decided we would spend a lot of time soliciting feedback from the healthcare community. We literally conducted between 100-200 interviews with professionals in our network," says Vayer. 

The surveys Cigna collects show similar metrics as MGMA-ACMPE's. "There's no gap," says Vayer. "We discovered they [providers] really wanted to be paid quickly... transparent communication, and more information."

She says Cigna's customer service representatives receive more and specific training than they did just two years ago to meet the needs of providers. The website modifications are also aimed directly at healthcare professionals.