Survey Finds Many Hospital Patients Dissatisfied With Some Aspect of Their Care; Most Patients Would Recommend Facilities Where They Received Treatment

The first-ever CMS nationwide hospital quality survey found that 67% of patients said they would "definitely recommend" the facility in which they received treatment to friends and relatives and that 63% gave their hospitals a nine or 10 rating on a scale of zero to 10, the New York Times reports. However, many patients reported being dissatisfied with some aspect of their care, the survey found.

For the survey, the results of which were posted on Friday on Medicare's Hospital Compare Web site, randomly selected patients at more than 2,500 hospitals nationwide completed a questionnaire from October 2006 to June 2007 (Pear, New York Times, 3/29). The survey asked 27 questions, such as how well providers handled complaints of pain, how well they listened to patients and whether they treated patients with respect, the Los Angeles Times reports (Lin, Los Angeles Times, 3/29).

According to the New York Times, many patients said they were not treated with respect by providers, that they did not understand instructions for care after discharge and that they did not receive adequate pain medication after surgery. About 25% of patients said nurses did not communicate well with them, the survey found (New York Times, 3/29). Twenty percent of patients said they did not receive written information regarding follow-up care when discharged, according to the survey (Bloomberg/Baltimore Sun, 3/29). Federal officials noted that patients rated their experiences at rural hospitals better than those in urban settings for several satisfaction measures, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports (Freking, AP/Houston Chronicle, 3/29).

Herb Kuhn, deputy administrator for CMS, said that the number of hospitals expected to participate in the next CMS quality survey is expected to increase to about 4,000 because hospitals that do not participate will have their Medicare reimbursements reduced by about $100 for each discharged patient (Orlando Sentinel, 3/29). Hospitals are expected to administer the survey to 300 patients per year (Bloomberg/Baltimore Sun, 3/29).

Reaction
During a speech at an Association of Health Care Journalists conference, HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said, "We pay the same whether the care is good or whether it is not good" (Bernhard/Feldstein, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 3/29). He added, "The current sector is all about volume. The future is about value" (AP/Houston Chronicle, 3/29). Leavitt added that he expected hospitals to begin "looking at this data, identifying places where they need to improve" (Garrett/Meyer, Dallas Morning News, 3/29).

Gerry Shea -- assistant to the president of AFL-CIO, which helped develop the survey -- said, "It's a major step for consumers and not an easy step for hospitals," adding, "It puts them in the spotlight on how they are doing against the competition."

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Director Carolyn Clancy said, "Patient perspective on care is a critical part of what we call quality of care" (Bloomberg/Baltimore Sun, 3/29).

Richard Umbdenstock -- president and CEO of the American Hospital Association, which helped develop the quality measures used in the survey -- said that the survey allowed an "apples-to-apples comparison" of hospitals across the nation (New York Times, 3/29). He added, "Ultimately, this tool benefits everyone" (AP/Houston Chronicle, 3/29).


Kaisernetwork.org webcasts of sessions from the Association of Health Care Journalists conference are available online.