Patient Satisfaction for Inpatient and Outpatient Services Reaches Five-Year High, According to New Press Ganey Report

SOUTH BEND, Ind., Jan. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Patient satisfaction for inpatient and outpatient services has reached its highest levels in five years according to the 2010 Press Ganey Hospital Pulse Report: Patient Perspectives on American Health Care. Average scores for overall inpatient satisfaction continued to rise from January 2005 through October 2009 reaching a high score of 85.5. Outpatient satisfaction reached a high score during the same time period of 91.7.

"We believe inpatients are more satisfied with their care because the implementation of public reporting has made focusing on patient care a higher priority for hospitals," said Deirdre Mylod, PhD, vice president of hospital services, Press Ganey. "The increased transparency and pay-for-performance has pushed hospitals to put an even greater emphasis on satisfaction, and the data show that it's working."

The impact of the public reporting of data from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey provides a quantitative reason for the increase in patient satisfaction. With 2% of Medicare payment at risk for failure to report, most hospitals have collected data and submitted it for posting on the HospitalCompare.gov web site. That means that a hospital's standing on HCAHPS is available for everyone to see – particularly by patients making decisions about where to seek care. In response, hospitals have clearly improved the patient experience. The beginning of public reporting in March 2009 led to the largest increase in scores in the 25 years that Press Ganey has been collecting such data.

The 2010 Hospital Pulse Report also measured the top priority of more than 3 million hospital inpatients in 2,162 hospitals in 2009. According to Press Ganey's National Inpatient Priority Index, the top three inpatient concerns are "effective communication," "empathy" and "relationship building." For the first time in four years, "promptness in responding to the call button" did not make the top five items in the index.

"The practice of hourly rounding at hospitals has been embedded as a standard of care in most organizations," said Mylod. "Hourly rounding programs help reduce patient anxiety as patients feel they will be checked on routinely by a healthcare professional."

With increased competition with other freestanding outpatient centers, many hospitals have also placed greater emphasis on the outpatient experience – improving parking, offering amenities such as valet parking and even redesigning outpatient facilities.

The highest priorities of outpatients tend to center around meeting the emotional needs of the patient. The top three concerns Press Ganey found for outpatients include "response to concerns/complaints," "sensitivity to needs" and "staff concern for questions/worries." This data is based on more than 2.2 million outpatient responses from 1,431 facilities in 2009.

The 2010 Press Ganey Hospital Pulse Report is available at: http://www.pressganey.com/researchResources/hospitals/pulseReports.aspx

Press Ganey Associates, Inc.

Recognized as a leader in performance improvement for 25 years, Press Ganey partners with more than 10,000 health care organizations to create and sustain high performing organizations, and, ultimately, improve the overall health care experience. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of solutions to help clients operate efficiently, improve quality, increase market share and optimize reimbursement. Press Ganey works with clients from across the continuum of care – hospitals, medical practices, home health agencies and other providers – including 50% of all U.S. hospitals. For more information, visit www.pressganey.com.

SOURCE Press Ganey Associates, Inc.