Our inpatient satisfaction scores are the result of the HCAHPS (
Hospital –
Consumer
Assessment of
Healthcare
Providers and
Systems) survey our patients complete. It is a standardized tool for measuring the patient experience with regards to particular aspects of hospital care. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) requires hospitals to participate in HCAHPS in order to be reimbursed for the services they provide. First, the survey is designed to produce data about patients' perspectives of care that allow objective and meaningful comparisons of hospitals on topics that are important to consumers. Second, public reporting of the survey results creates new incentives for hospitals to improve quality of care. Third, public reporting serves to enhance accountability in health care by increasing transparency of the quality of hospital care provided in return for the public investment. With these goals in mind, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the HCAHPS Project Team have taken substantial steps to assure that the survey is credible, useful, and practical. HCAHPS is slightly different from other patient surveys in that it does not ask patients how satisfied they were with their care. Rather, it asks how often different aspects of care were provided, such as how often a doctor carefully listened to them. HCAHPS includes 27 questions which will be bundled and reported as 10 “composite” scores. They are:
• Communication with doctors.
• Communication with nurses.
• Responsiveness of hospital staff.
• Pain management.
• Communication about medicines.
• Discharge information.
• Cleanliness of the hospital environment.
• Quietness of the hospital environment.
• Overall rating of the hospital.
• Willingness to recommend the hospital.
A sample survey.
Visit
www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov to see how GHS compares to other hospitals across our region, state, and nation.
Ambulatory Surgery
Outpatient surgery patient satisfaction is measured by using Press Ganey's survey tool. Patients receive surveys asking them questions in a number of categories including: registration, nursing, physicians, facilities, personal issues, patient safety and overall rating of care.
Emergency Services
Four GHS hospitals have emergency rooms. Patient satisfaction also is measured by using Press Ganey's survey tool.