The visit-specific PCCC has been validated for use in both English and Spanish. 

PDF copies of survey language in each language are available below. 

English

Spanish

Numerator: The PCCC is a visit-specific measure of patient-centeredness in contraceptive counseling. Identification in the numerator is determined by patient response to the PCCC. The numerator includes only those patients who gave a top-box score for their experience with their health care provider on the PCCC. All other conditions determining inclusion in the numerator also determine inclusion in the denominator.

Numerator exclusions: patient responses are excluded from the numerator if they reported less than highest rating for any of the PCCC items. All other exclusions are the same as for the denominator.

Denominator: The target population for the PCCC is patients aged 15-44 years who were assigned female at birth, who are not currently pregnant, and who received contraceptive counseling as part of their recent visit.

Denominator exclusions: Patients are excluded if 1) they did not receive contraceptive counseling, 2) are younger than 15 years old or older than 44 years old, 3)  if they are currently pregnant.

Level of analysis: clinician group/practice

Measure calculation: PCCC is reported as a rate/proportion. The score is calculated following these procedures:

1. Patients who indicate they did not receive contraceptive counseling are excluded

2. Incomplete PCCC responses are excluded

3. Measure responses are summed as the total of all PCCC item values (maximum value of 20)

4. PCCC value sums are dichotomized as a maximum value of 20 (top-box score) versus any value less than 20

5. Dichotomized result variable is examined at clinician group/practice level

6. Measure result is calculated as the percentage of patients responding with a top-box score, divided by the total number of patients who gave any response to the survey, on a clinician group/practice level

For more information on measure specifications, please see the PCCC's entry in the Partnership for Quality Measurement's measure repository.

PCCC is a patient-reported outcome performance measure. Data are generated by patients completing surveys directly after their appointment or within a week following their visit. Thus healthcare teams need to consider how they will collect these data. Each section below walks through steps and considerations for implementing PCCC in your setting, including (1) initial preparation, (2) workflow and staff considerations (3) identifying patients who may be eligible, (4) survey administration, (5) score calculation and interpretation.   

Background one-pager

One page document with background about the PCCC measure and the importance of measuring patient experience in contraceptive care.

See Background & Development and Publications for more information about the science of the measure.

The PCCC is designed to be low-burden for patients and clinics. Preparing for data collection, including establishing clear roles and procedures amongst clinic staff can ensure smooth and clear execution. Materials provided below can help support PCCC project planning.

Sample Agenda for Initial Planning Meeting

This is a sample agenda for a meeting with health care facility managers and key personnel seeking to implement the PCCC measure. This meeting can be used as a space to walk through the Key Considerations Checklist together.

Key Considerations Checklist

This document is intended as a self-guided walk through of important considerations for key health center personnel implementing the PCCC survey in their health care setting.

PCCC Pre-Implementation Checklist

This checklist reviews key operational inputs in preparation for collecting and using the visit-specific PCCC.  

The PCCC should be introduced and distributed by either a staff member who did not conduct contraceptive counseling with the patient or through an alternative method, such as a post-visit text message. This is to ensure the survey captures honest and authentic feedback from the patient. 

How to integrate PCCC into existing workflows will vary by clinical site. Below are some materials that illustrate potential workflows and key staff responsibilities.

PCCC Measure Workflow Template

Visual overview of workflow and staff roles in identifying eligible patients, distributing the survey, collecting, and managing data.

Sample Key Staff

This document provides examples of staff, provider, and administrator roles in implementing the PCCC.

How you identify eligible patients will depend on your site's current workflows. Common approaches include:

• Provider flagging – Providers mark the patient's chart during visits where contraceptive counseling occurs
• Pre-visit screening – Medical assistants or care team members note when patients request contraceptive counseling during intake
• Post-visit outreach – Administrative staff contact patients after their visit to share a QR code linking to the survey

PCCC Patient Eligibility Guidelines

This document details patient eligibility/ineligibility for staff members tasked with distributing the survey to patients.

PCCC Survey Case Scenarios 

Four case scenarios of determining eligibility to take the PCCC survey.

Choosing your distribution method

The PCCC can be collected by paper or through electronic means, either by connecting your patients to a survey link in-clinic or through a post-visit communication, with the survey to be completed within one week post-visit. Select the method that either fits your existing patient survey workflows or would be easiest to implement. For example, if your clinic already distributes patient surveys at the front desk after visits, that approach would likely work best for the PCCC survey as well. Below are considerations for paper versus electronic distribution:

Below are some additional materials that may support your selection and implementation of survey administration procedures:

PCCC Collection Tips and Tricks

Created as part of the Innovating Contraceptive Care in Community Health Centers project, this “tips and tricks” document contains learnings from the project regarding efficient and timely collection of an adequate number of PCCC survey responses. 

Sample Delivery Script

Sites might find it helpful to create a delivery script for the staff tasked with distributing and collecting survey responses. The document below is a sample delivery script for a site using paper surveys and an anonymous box to collect responses.

Sample Patient FAQs

This document is meant to be edited for your clinic. The parts in RED should change according to your site’s information.

Calculating the PCCC Measure Result 

• The PCCC measure result is calculated as the percentage of patients who gave a top score ("5") on all four items on the PCCC scale.
• The results can be calculated at the clinician group/practice level.
• The recommended panel size is 30 patient responses per clinician group/practice.
• See Figure 1 for an example report of clinic PCCC scores. 

Interpreting the PCCC Measure Result 

In an ideal world, every patient would feel comfortable giving their provider a top score on all four items on the PCCC scale. PCCC responses are aggregated and reported as a percentage of patients who marked “excellent” on all four items. Initial testing has indicated that a score of at least 80% is achievable and a good indication of quality patient-centered contraceptive counseling. This “all-or-none” measurement allows for an overarching perspective, but providers and facilities can also look at item-level scores to identify specific areas for improvement. The responses are reported at the provider or facility level. 

Examining PCCC scores by patient subgroups

While including demographic questions as part of the PCCC measure is not required, being able to disaggregate by certain demographic characteristics can identify inequities requiring attention in quality improvement efforts. For example, in the image below, PCCC surveys were distributed and findings were disaggregated by several demographic characteristics including language, race/ethnicity, age, and sexual orientation.  

For more information on examining patient subgroup information, see the following resource:

Stratifying PCCC scores by patient groups

Frequency of PCCC Collection 

Our team recommends regular collection of the PCCC in order to track quality improvement initiatives and quality of care. Regular collection can look different for each site and can be built into existing patient surveying. As an example, a community health center that has periodic patient surveying 2x/year after patient visits can add the PCCC to the survey for ease of collection. 

PCCC Reports 

The image below is an example PCCC report from our Innovating Contraceptive Care in Community Health Centers (ICC in CHC) project. This example report shows the overall PCCC score on the upper left with disaggregated scores for each item of the PCCC. Our team at PCRHP is available for technical assistance that can include generating a report containing disaggregated PCCC scores alongside the overall PCCC score.