What is HCAHPS?
HCAHPS stands for Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems.
In 2002, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) asked the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to develop a survey to compile and measure patient perceptions of care. CMS's goal for the survey is to provide consumers with information that might be helpful in choosing a hospital.
Recently-discharged patients are asked 27 questions about their hospital stay. Patients rate the frequency of events during their care using (never, sometimes, usually, always). The survey categories are:
- Communication With Doctors
- Communication With Nurses
- Responsiveness of Hospital Staff
- Pain Control
- Communication About Medicines
- Cleanliness of Hospital Environment
- Quietness of Hospital Environment
- Discharge Information
- Overall Hospital Rating
- Likelihood to Recommend
HCAHPS complements the objective quality data collected by Alegent Health to give patients an overview of other patients’ experiences.
Find out more about HCAHPS at the CMS Centers for Medicaid Services web site.
