life and health
w
11
IF
you’ve had a good or bad experi-
ence in the hospi-
tal, you might tell
friends or family
about it but other-
wise keep things to
yourself.
We want to hear
about your experi-
ences, because they
can help us provide
more e ective
patient care.
We use a number of tools to
track and improve the quality of our
services. One of these tools is the
Hospital Consumer Assessment of
Healthcare Providers and Systems
(HCAHPS) survey—a survey you
may be asked to participate in.
Developed by various U.S.
government health agencies, this
survey is the rst national, stan-
dardized instrument for measuring
patients’ perceptions of their hospital
experiences.
How it works
e HCAHPS survey is admin-
istered to a random selection of
patients a er they are discharged
from the hospital. e goal is for
Being an active member of your health
care team can help you get high-quality
care when you see the doctor or visit the
hospital.
Here are three key tips for better care:
1
Ask questions. If you don’t under-
stand something your doctor is telling
you or why a procedure or treatment
is recommended, ask your doctor to
explain.
2
Make sure your doctor is aware of all the
prescription and over-the-counter medi-
cines you use, including any vitamins or
herbal supplements—this can help prevent
side e ects or dangerous interactions.
3
If you’re getting a medical test, ask
when you’ll get the results and how you’ll
be noti ed. Follow up if you don’t hear
back about test results or other medical
matters when expected.
Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
How do
we rate?
Your feedback helps promote
better care and service
3 tips to help you take charge of your health
each participating hospital to get at
least 300 completed surveys a year.
e survey asks patients to rate
doctors and nurses in each of the
following categories. Our results in
2012 are listed in the chart at right.
In addition, patients are requested
to rate the hospital on a scale from
0 to 10 and are asked if they would
recommend the hospital to family
members or friends.
See the results
You can view HCAHPS
survey results at
hospitalcompare.hhs.gov
.
In the meantime, if you have any
questions or concerns about quality, be
sure to speak to our quality director or
your medical team. We want to help.
PATIENT CARE
life and health
w
3
If you’re asked to participate in
a survey about your hospital
stay, please take part. Your
responses will help us evaluate
the quality of care we provide.
Lori Pu , Quality
Director
Most recent 2012
HCAHPS Survey
questions
Percentage of
our patients
who answered
“always”
Patients were
treated with cour-
tesy and respect.
By doctors: 92
By nurses: 88
Providers listened
to patients carefully.
88
Providers explained
things in a way
patients could
understand.
80
Patients received
prompt assistance
from hospital sta .
64
Patients’ pain was
well controlled.
77
Sta members
explained the
reasons for giving
medicines.
84
75% of patients rated us a 9 or 10.
1,2 4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,...16