NRC Picker is the result of decades of commitment to creating a patient-focused healthcare environment, using measurement and quality improvement tools to drive responsiveness and change.

Founded in 1981, National Research Corporation (NRC) has maintained a strong commitment to improving the quality of healthcare received by patients and consumers through a focus on continual improvement in patient experience and performance measurement within the healthcare industry. NRC’s products and services are designed to meet the individual needs of the entire spectrum of healthcare organizations and cross all measures within an organization. The Company conducts market research studies for thousands of healthcare organizations including: health systems, hospitals, managed care organizations, medical groups, federal and state agencies, employers and business coalitions.

In 2001, NRC acquired the Picker Institute’s healthcare survey business, a highly regarded family of patient and employee surveys in healthcare quality assessment and improvement. Picker surveys use a technique of asking patients and family to objectively report on care experiences, rather than merely ask for subjective satisfaction ratings.  This allows healthcare professionals, for the first time, to see through the patients’ eyes how well they deliver care on aspects most important to patients. It is this philosophy that is the foundation for today’s HCAHPS quality of care instrument.

The findings of the Picker research are classified into the Eight Dimensions of Patient-Centered Care. These dimensions are considered the authoritative definition of patient-centered care and the backbone of measurement techniques based upon the patient experience.