HCAHPS Survey Analysis - Patients' Perception of Hospital Care in the US

After what could be described as a period of stagnation in some HCAHPS areas (and mild progress in others), the patient satisfaction levels took a dramatic turn following the peak in hospitalizations that occurred in late 2020/ early 2021.

The chart is from a NY Times article by Amelia Nierenberg, which you can find here.

The surveys are sent to a random sample of adult inpatients between 48 hours and six weeks (42 calendar days) after discharge*. They are cyclic, meaning they are collected over one year, between 1-Oct and 30-Sep the following year. This means that the data collected throughout the peak COVID-19 period will be reflected in the 2021 cycle, which ends on 9/30/2021.

The biggest percentage points drop can be seen in the communication about medicines, and cleanliness, as well as in the overall communication with the medical staff. This is no surprise, having in mind the fact that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals suddenly faced extraordinary demands, which was corroborated in multiple studies**. This was most notable in the case of hospitals that had lower pre-pandemic staffing.

Finding a significant correlation between the percentage of respondents / satisfied patients in each state is hardly a revelation, but it's still worth stating: if the patients with negative hospital experiences are inclined to skip responding to a survey, this could indicate that the data might be biased.

* From the FAQ found on the HCAHPS website.

** Shanafelt T, Ripp J, Trockel M. Understanding and addressing sources of anxiety among health care professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic.  *JAMA. 2020;323(21):2133-2134. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.5893.