Feds to display hospital satisfaction ratings in newspaper ads

Wed, 21 May 2008 06:59:56 -0400

In an effort to put some money behind its philosophy, the federal government has budgeted about $1.9 million to put full-page ads in newspapers around the U.S. disclosing individual hospital satisfaction rates. The newspaper ads, which are running in 58 newspapers in 49 states, draw their data from CMS's Hospital Compare website (http://www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov). The patient satisfaction data used in the campaign was released voluntarily by the hospitals in question.

The ads will show responses to two questions: the percentage of patients who always received help when they needed it, and the percentage who received antibiotics one hour before surgery. The second question relates to a measure commonly held to be important in fighting hospital-acquired infections. In addition to listing specific hospital numbers, the ads will list statewide averages for the given survey question.

To learn more about this campaign:
- read this Associated Press article

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Medicare releases volume, customer satisfaction data

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 07:59:58 -0400

For the first time, Medicare has released volume and payment information for a list of selected conditions, along with the results from its new consumer satisfaction survey, the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS). Medicare already posts hospital quality data for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care to its Hospital Compare website. The agency now will add information showing how often Medicare patients were admitted to hospitals for a set of conditions, as well as what Medicare paid for treatments to the site and HCAHPS data. The HCAHPS data includes feedback from more than 2,500 hospitals participating in the program's launch.

To learn more about Medicare's plans:
- read this Modern Healthcare article (reg. req.)

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Satisfaction Study

Feds to display hospital satisfaction ratings in newspaper ads

Medicare releases volume, customer satisfaction data