TYRONE – Tyrone’s scores on the most recent Medicare inpatient satisfaction survey or what is officially known as Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) showed Tyrone scored higher that the national and state averages in 9 of the 10 patient satisfaction categories that are measured.
HCAHPS, which was developed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS), is a 27-question survey that hospitals distribute to recently discharged inpatients to inquire about their hospital experience. The survey addresses 10 categories deemed important to patients. Patients are asked to rate their hospital stay in several areas such as: receiving adequate discharge information and medication instructions, communication with caregivers, pain management and cleanliness and quietness of the hospital to name a few.
CMS developed the HCAHPS survey to provide consumers with valuable information to help them choose a hospital. The survey also provides hospitals with information that can be used for quality/performance improvement.
Amy Vereshack, director of Performance Improvement at Tyrone Hospital said Tyrone operates on a continuous improvement philosophy, which includes a focus on patient satisfaction. She said, “There is great emphasis on patient satisfaction at CMS and in the healthcare industry in general. The overall goal is to achieve high patient satisfaction scores. High scores ensure patient safety and good patient outcomes.”
Tyrone Hospital has a multidisciplinary team that continually reviews processes related to the 10 categories included in the HCAHPS survey. Vereshack said the team is currently making improvements to staff education, patient education, hospitality, noise level on patient care units and interdisciplinary communication – all to further improve patient satisfaction.
“We are proud of our employees and medical staff for all of their hard work,” said Vereshack. “They consistently give 110 percent, and that extra attention is reflected in our outstanding HCAHPS scores.”
“We are very grateful to our patients for taking the time to complete the HCAHPS satisfaction surveys”, said Vereshack. They are helping us identify what we do well and areas for improvement.”