News Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 23, 2005
Hospitals set to make patient survey results public
For years, hospitals have surveyed patients about their experiences: Did a nurse come quickly when they pressed the call button? Was the bathroom clean? Were the doctors attentive, or were they rushed? If you're deciding where to give birth, or have surgery, you probably want answers to these questions.
Most hospitals, however, keep their results secret, using them quietly to shape employee training. But under pressure from the federal government and employers, US hospitals are preparing to tell the public how their patients respond to these and other detailed questions about their care. The hope is that the data will help patients choose hospitals and that public scrutiny will drive hospitals to improve care.
The federal Medicare program, working with hospital and other industry groups, has developed a 27-question survey that will be the first standard, national ''patient experience" questionnaire allowing comparisons among hospitals. Many hospitals will begin giving patients the survey early next year, and Medicare will post patients' answers on its website starting late next year or in early 2007.
View the full article at boston.com.