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Most Patients Dissatisfied With Some Aspect of Hospital Care, Survey Finds

by Medindia Content Team on Apr 3 2008 3:03 PM

The first-ever CMS nationwide hospital quality survey found that 67% of patients said they would "definitely recommend" the facility in which they received treatment to friends and relatives and that 63% gave their hospitals a nine or 10 rating on a scale of zero to 10, the New York Times reports. However, many patients reported being dissatisfied with some aspect of their care, the survey found.

For the survey, the results of which were posted on Friday on Medicare’s Hospital Compare Web site, randomly selected patients at more than 2,500 hospitals nationwide completed a questionnaire from October 2006 to June 2007. The survey asked 27 questions, such as how well providers handled complaints of pain, how well they listened to patients and whether they treated patients with respect, the Los Angeles Times reports.

According to the New York Times, many patients said they were not treated with respect by providers, that they did not understand instructions for care after discharge and that they did not receive adequate pain medication after surgery. About 25% of patients said nurses did not communicate well with them, the survey found. Twenty percent of patients said they did not receive written information regarding follow-up care when discharged, according to the survey. Federal officials noted that patients rated their experiences at rural hospitals better than those in urban settings for several satisfaction measures, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports.

Herb Kuhn, deputy administrator for CMS, said that the number of hospitals expected to participate in the next CMS quality survey is expected to increase to about 4,000 because hospitals that do not participate will have their Medicare reimbursements reduced by about $100 for each discharged patient. Hospitals are expected to administer the survey to 300 patients per year.

Source-Kaiser Family Foundation
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