Source: The HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) survey is the first national, standardized, publicly reported survey of patients’ perspectives of hospital care. HCAHPS also known as the CAHPS Hospital Survey, is a survey instrument and data collection methodology for measuring patients’ perceptions of their hospital experience.
While many hospitals have collected information on patient satisfaction for their own internal use, until HCAHPS there was no national standard for collecting and publicly reporting information about patient experience of care that allowed valid comparisons to be made across hospitals locally, regionally and nationally.
Three broad goals have shaped the HCAHPS survey:
First, the survey is designed to produce comparable data on the patient’s perspective on care that allows objective and meaningful comparisons between hospitals on domains that are important to consumers. Second, public reporting of the survey results is designed to create incentives for hospitals to improve their quality of care. Third, public reporting will serve to enhance public accountability in healthcareby increasing the transparency of the quality of hospital care provided in return for the public investment. With these goals in mind, the HCAHPS project has taken substantial steps to assure that the survey is credible, useful, and practical. This methodology and the information it generates are available to the public.
HCAHPS Content and Administration
The HCAHPS survey contains 21 patient perspectives on care and patient rating items that encompass nine key topics: (1) communication with doctors, (2) communication with nurses, (3) responsiveness of hospital staff, (4) pain management, (5) communication about medicines, (6) discharge information, (7) cleanliness of the hospital environment, (8) quietness of the hospital environment, and (9) transition of care.
The survey also includes 4screener questions and 7demographic items, which are used for adjusting the mix of patients across hospitals and for analytical purposes. The survey is 32 questions in length. Hospitals must survey patients throughout each month of the year.
BevMD’s Clearfast® can positively impact the following HCAHPS categories:
Doctor Communication
Nurse Communication
Pain Management
Communication About Medicines
Overall Rating of Hospital
Willingness to Recommend Hospital