Hospital Ratings Become Public Knowledge

Thanks to a government-sponsored survey and public input, ratings for hospitals from around the United States are now available for everyone to see. The nine-month-long survey gathered information about 2,500 U.S. hospitals from the patients themselves and have compiled the results on a United States Department of Health & Human Services website.

The data was collected by the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) in conjunction with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to rate hospitals in various categories, including nurse/doctor communication with patients, pain management, staff responsiveness, cleanliness, medication information, and discharge orders. From October of 2006 to June of 2007, patients were asked to answer survey questions after leaving hospitals and rate those facilities.

Combined with information from the Hospital Quality Alliance (HQA) organization, all other results were combined for the Hospital Compare project. The goal was to put more power in the hands of patients by giving them information with which to make informed choices, thereby making hospitals responsible for improving patient services. The onus has been put on hospitals to make their facilities desirable, knowing that the public would have choices as to where to go for hospital services.

The website, www.HospitalCompare.hhs.gov, is a tool by which consumers can research hospitals and view how patients with conditions or procedures rated those institutions regarding the quality of care provided to them. While the thousands of hospitals that participated had to do so willingly, the site appears to be comprehensive and includes hospitals from coast to coast.

There are four main categories of results for consumers to search: hospital process of care measures, hospital outcome of care measures, survey of patients' hospital experiences, and Medicare payment and volume. The combination of all information available to consumers allows them to consider their own medical needs and find facilities that are right for them. Also readily available on the site are the American Hospital Association's Patient Bill of Rights, a list of Medicare rights and protections, and a detailed help section to inform consumers of how to use the website and the information contained within.

CMS, with help from numerous sponsors, are spending $1.9 million to conduct a one-day advertising blitz in 58 local markets around the U.S. to bring attention to the site. In order to bring more hospitals into the conversation and to make patients aware of their choices, CMS hopes to expand the program to become more comprehensive in the future. If hospitals realize that the future dictates that they will need to be more responsive to patient needs in order to stay in business, services will be required to improve in order to remain relevant in the market and warrant patients' trust.

The organizations involved in the research and publication of the results hope that the public will begin to be more aware of their choices. When consumers have time to choose a hospital prior to a planned surgery or hospitalization, they can make informed choices. Even in cases of emergency care, if patients take the time while healthy to research hospitals in their area and let their choice(s) be known to their primary care physicians, patients can receive care from a specifically-chosen facility.

In today's world of big insurance companies and fewer patient choices, it is encouraging to know that there are choices, and the Hospital Compare project may only be the beginning of more patient involvement in their care.