New Federal Law

[silentRN]

Has anyone else heard of this new federal mandated law where hospitals will be reinbursted based on patient satisfaction scores? What do you think about it?

I think it's a bunch of crock. What an idiotic law. I guess the insurance companies had a good lobbiest in congress. I believe this will just add to the strain in hospitals and for their nurses, as if there isn't one already.

-David

[Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN]

It is not a law, but a part of the existing agree about reporting performance measures to Medicare.

What is HCAHPS?

HCAHPS is an Acronym for "Hospital Consumer Assessments of Healthcare Providers and Systems" survey. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have developed this survey instrument to be used to collect information on hospital patients' perspectives of the care they received while in the hospital. This survey is sent in addition to the patient satisfa ction survey Press Ganey sends to many of our patients who receive our services.

Once a sufficient am ount of HCAHPS data is collected, the results will be publicly reported by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Patients and physicians will be able to compare the patient satisfaction scores of several facilities at a time to determine which healthcare provider can best meet their needs.

[Sugarlet]

I think HCAHPS has a negative impact on nursing care. We have to go beyond nursing care to be the maid and the waitress sometimes to please the patients so our hospitals can get high rating.

[Kabin]

Hospital work is difficult work, many stressed out pts, families, nurses, drs, ect. Since medicare patients paid taxes why not have a satisfaction feedback to make sure those monies are being well spent? That's the way the real world works. Identify and avoid crappy businesses. On the bright side maybe it'll put pressure on hospital administrators to improve hospital working conditions.