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About the Authors:
Bich N. Dang
* E-mail: [email protected]
Affiliations Houston Veterans Affairs Health Services Research and Development Center of Excellence, Houston, Texas, United States of America, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America, Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America, Harris County Hospital District, Houston, Texas, United States of America
Robert A. Westbrook
Affiliation: Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business, Rice University, Houston, Texas, United States of America
Maria C. Rodriguez-Barradas
Affiliations Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America, Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
Thomas P. Giordano
Affiliations Houston Veterans Affairs Health Services Research and Development Center of Excellence, Houston, Texas, United States of America, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America, Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America, Harris County Hospital District, Houston, Texas, United States of America
Introduction
The use of self-reported patient evaluations as a quality measure signifies a paradigm shift in American medicine. The Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®) Hospital Survey, developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, represents the first standardized, nationwide measurement system for tracking patients’ perception of their care [1]. CMS reports CAHPS® Hospital Survey results publicly, and starting October 2012, Medicare will distribute value-based incentive payments for acute care services based partly on how patients rate their care experience [2]. In addition, the American Board of Internal Medicine requires recertifying physicians to complete at least one Practice Improvement Module®, one of which entails soliciting 25 patient evaluation surveys.
The focus on patient satisfaction stems from longstanding interest in the business sector, where most large firms regularly monitor the satisfaction of their customers. The emphasis on improving customer experience is based on evidence that higher levels of customer satisfaction lead to higher customer loyalty, greater repeat purchasing and more favorable referrals, all of which result in improved market share, greater revenues and higher profitability [3]. Customer satisfaction serves as a key metric for judging firm performance and informs management on how to improve customer...