What is Patient Satisfaction? Baystate Health (BH) is committed to providing the highest quality of care possible to our patients. Listening to patient feedback is the most valuable way to know what we are doing well and where we need to improve. One way we obtain feedback is through surveys. A random sample of patients receiving care at any one of 42 BH hospital units, home care and hospice, ambulance services and 54 Baystate Medical Practices receives a telephone call survey conducted by an external company, Professional Research Consultants (PRC) on our behalf.
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As of July 2007, all U.S. hospitals were required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to survey 300 Medical, Surgical and Obstetrical inpatients annually on their patient experience. The standardized survey, called H-CAHPS (Hospital-Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems), was integrated into each hospital’s survey process. The survey results are posted for public review at hospitalcompare.hhs.gov. We view this as a natural next step for our organization to be both transparent and accountable to the communities we serve.
Baystate Health Survey Process
- Surveys ask patients to rate their satisfaction with areas such as the admission/registration process, facilities, food, communication with nurses and physicians, discharge process, personal care issues, and overall assessment of the quality of care received.
- Patients choose a rating of “excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor.”
- Staff receives a set of “Key Drivers” which guide improvement efforts. Key Drivers indicate the most important areas to drive patient satisfaction and loyalty.
Highlights
Baystate Health Wins 15 PRC National Patient Experience Awards
We are pleased by the high level of achievement and the excellent patient experiences documented across Baystate Health in 2011. We congratulate the following teams for being recognized as award winners by Professional Research Consultants (PRC), the nation’s leader for patient satisfaction research.
Baystate Medical Center
- Four 5 Star Awards were awarded by Professional Research Consultants for achieving results in the top 10% nationally for patient satisfaction: Women’s Evaluation Treatment Unit (WETU), Baystate Orthopedic Surgery Center, Springfield 3 Oncology, and Chestnut Surgery Center.
- A 4 Star Award was awarded for excellent patient satisfaction in Outpatient Services. This award is given to hospitals ranked between the 75th percentile and the 89.9th percentile (top 25 percent nationally).
Baystate Mary Lane Hospital
- A 5 Star Award was awarded by Professional Research Consultants for ranking in the top 10% nationally for patient satisfaction in Outpatient Services.
- A 4 Star Award was awarded for ranking in the top 25 percent nationally in the Emergency Department.
Baystate Franklin Medical Center
- A 5 Star Award was awarded by Professional Research Consultants for ranking in the top 10% nationally in Obstetrics.
- A 4 Star Award was awarded for achieving the top 25% nationally in Outpatient Services.
Baystate Medical Practices
Six 5 Star Awards were awarded by PRC for ranking in the top 10% nationally for “Overall Quality of Doctor/Provider Care.” The recipients include: Harvey M. Lederman, MD, of BMP Pioneer Valley Family Medicine, Eugene F. Boss, MD, of BMP Northern Edge Adult Medicine, John Peluso, MD, of BMP Wilbraham Adult Medicine, Deborah A. Blume, PA, of BMP Northern Edge Adult Medicine, Jane Plager, NP, of BMP Franklin Adult Medicine, and Lisa A. Beaudry, CNM, RN, of BMP Mary Lane Ob/Gyn.
Patient and Family Advisory Councils
Patient and Family Advisory Councils (PFAC) were launched at all Baystate Health hospitals (BMC, BMLH and BFMC) last year, joining Advisory Councils already established by Health New England and Baystate Children’s Hospital.
Both the Massachusetts Hospital Association and Premier selected Baystate Health’s PFAC policy and materials as a “textbook example” of what they’d like to see all hospitals/health systems adopt as another important way to engage patients and families in healthcare decision making, information sharing, and policy and program development. All materials and PFAC Annual Reports are available in English and Spanish on the baystatehealth.org web site. Information from the councils provides hospital leadership with an enhanced understanding of how to improve quality, program development, service excellence, communications, patient safety, facility design, patient and family education, patient and family satisfaction, and loyalty.
Future Work
CAHPS, which stands for Consumer Assessment of Health Providers and Systems, is a government survey for measuring patient satisfaction at hospitals across the country. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) sponsor the survey. The categories focus on communication with doctors and nurses, responsiveness of hospital staff, pain management, cleanliness and quietness of the hospital environment, and instructions about medications and discharge. This information has been publicly available via the Hospital Quality Alliance website (www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov) since late March 2008. CAHPS surveys are now in place for all BH inpatient areas and home health teams. In FY 2012, the Baystate Medical Practices and patient-centered medical homes will move to a national CAHPS survey.
For more information on Quality at Baystate Health
For more information on Baystate Medical Center
For more information on Baystate Mary Lane Hospital
For more information on Baystate Franklin Medical Center
For more information on Baystate Medical Practices
For more information on the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
For more information on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
For more information on Professional Research Consultants
For more information on Hospital Compare
