The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) is a survey for measuring hospital patients’ perspectives on the care received. Though individual hospitals may have their own methods for measuring patient satisfaction and feedback, the HCAHPS is the first standardized and publicly-reported survey in the U.S.

The survey contains 27 questions about the patient’s hospital stay, with 18 questions dedicated to the most critical aspects of patients’ hospital experiences. These include nurse and doctor communication, hospital staff responsiveness, the hospital’s cleanliness and quietness, pain management, communication about medicines, discharge information, overall rating of the hospital and if they would recommend the hospital to others.

Benefits of receiving high HCAHPS scores include an improved reputation for the hospital, patients feeling like their voices are heard and financial incentives provided by the U.S. government for good performance.

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