BWH Bests State, National Scores in Patient Satisfaction
BWH physicians, nurses and other care providers recently received high marks compared to state and national averages on the new, federally-supported Hospital Compare Web site at www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov
BWH voluntarily submitted patient satisfaction data for the first round of the HCAHPS surveys. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in May published online data specific to 2,700 hospitals across the country. The online data was published in 10 categories based on answers to 18 different questions posed to patients following discharge October 2006 through June 2007.
Asked to rate the hospital overall on a scale of 1 to 10, 77 percent of respondents gave BWH a rating of 9 or 10, far above state and national averages. In addition, 83 percent of survey respondents said they would “definitely” recommend BWH to friends and family, compared to 70 percent statewide and 67 percent nationally.
“We should all take pride that our patients rank us above state and national averages, but it’s important for us to use this data to look internally to identify areas for improvement,” said BWH President Gary Gottlieb, MD, MBA.
The HCAHPS surveys also measured patient satisfaction relative to responsiveness of staff, pain control, communication about medication, cleanliness of hospital, quietness of hospital and discharge information. All BWH scores were consistent with Press Ganey Inpatient Satisfaction Surveys, which BWH has been using for several years.
The HCAHPS data will be updated online every three months but reported in 12-month snapshots. It will be updated next this summer, and next year, all hospitals that receive any funding from CMS must publish their data, too.