Understanding Net Promoter Score (NPS)
Net Promoter Score (NPS) measures how likely patients are to recommend a provider, practice, or organization to others.
It is widely used across healthcare and other industries to understand patient loyalty and overall satisfaction.
Patients answer a simple question:
“How likely are you to recommend this practice to friends or family?”
Responses are given on a 0–10 scale.
NPS Score Categories
Responses are grouped into three categories:
| Score | Category | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 9–10 | Promoters | Highly satisfied patients who are likely to recommend the organization |
| 7–8 | Passives | Satisfied but less enthusiastic patients |
| 0–6 | Detractors | Patients who had a less positive experience |
These categories help organizations understand the overall balance of positive and negative experiences.
How NPS Is Calculated
The Net Promoter Score is calculated using the following formula:
NPS = % of Promoters − % of Detractors
The score can range from -100 to +100.
For example:
- 70% Promoters
- 20% Passives
- 10% Detractors
NPS = 70 − 10 = 60
Higher scores indicate stronger patient loyalty and satisfaction.
Viewing NPS in Protoqual
Protoqual provides several ways to view NPS data.
Users can switch between different views depending on what they want to analyze.
Score View
The Score view displays the overall Net Promoter Score.
This view helps organizations quickly see how patient loyalty is trending over time.
Scores can often be viewed across different levels of the organization, such as:
- Organization
- Group
- Practice
- Location
Group View
The Group view shows the percentage of responses in each NPS category:
- Promoters
- Passives
- Detractors
This view helps organizations understand how patient sentiment is distributed, not just the overall score.
Distribution View
The Distribution view shows how patients responded across the full 0–10 scale.
This view displays the number of responses for each score.
Distribution views help teams:
- Identify patterns in patient responses
- See whether feedback clusters around certain scores
- Understand how the final NPS score was formed
Switching Between Graph and Table Views
Many NPS modules allow users to switch between:
- Graph view for visual trends
- Table view for exact values
Both views display the same data and allow users to analyze results in the format that works best for them.
Missing Data or Excluded Groups
You may occasionally see messages such as:
“One or more groups were excluded.”
This means that no surveys were completed for those groups during the selected time period, so there is no data to display.
You may also see gaps in historical charts if surveys were not completed during certain months.
Sending surveys consistently helps maintain a clearer trend over time.
Why NPS Matters
NPS provides a simple way to measure patient loyalty and overall experience.
Tracking NPS over time helps organizations:
- Monitor patient satisfaction
- Identify improvements or declines in experience
- Compare performance across practices or locations
- Understand the balance of positive and negative feedback
NPS works best when combined with other patient experience metrics and patient feedback.