INTRODUCTION: Devon is curious about whether a small reduction in health care costs would improve patient satisfaction ratings in his practice. He selects a group of patients who come to the office every month and has them fill out a short standardized patient satisfaction survey just before leaving the office. At their next visit, these patients are informed that they qualify for a program that gives them a $20 voucher that will be applied to the cost of their insurance co-pay. This continues for the next three months, and the patients fill out the same survey at each visit. When given the last voucher, the patients are informed that the sponsor canceled the program and that this would be the last $20 credit they receive. Patients fill out the survey again at the next two visits, for which they must pay the entire amount of their co-pay.
INSTRUCTIONS: Think about how the situation might be approached. Then choose whether you agree or disagree with the following statements and why.
History poses a significant threat to the validity of this experiment.