Patient Satisfaction for Inpatient and Outpatient Services Reaches Five-Year High, According to New Press Ganey Report

SOUTH BEND, Ind., Jan. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Patient satisfaction for
inpatient and outpatient services has reached its highest levels in five years
according to the 2010 Press Ganey Hospital Pulse Report: Patient Perspectives on
American Health Care. Average scores for overall inpatient satisfaction
continued to rise from January 2005 through October 2009 reaching a high score
of 85.5. Outpatient satisfaction reached a high score during the same time
period of 91.7.

“We believe inpatients are more satisfied with their care because the
implementation of public reporting has made focusing on patient care a higher
priority for hospitals,” said Deirdre Mylod, PhD, vice president of hospital
services, Press Ganey. “The increased transparency and pay-for-performance has
pushed hospitals to put an even greater emphasis on satisfaction, and the data
show that it’s working.”

The impact of the public reporting of data from the Hospital Consumer Assessment
of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey provides a quantitative
reason for the increase in patient satisfaction. With 2% of Medicare payment at
risk for failure to report, most hospitals have collected data and submitted it
for posting on the HospitalCompare.gov web site. That means that a hospital’s
standing on HCAHPS is available for everyone to see – particularly by patients
making decisions about where to seek care. In response, hospitals have clearly
improved the patient experience. The beginning of public reporting in March 2009
led to the largest increase in scores in the 25 years that Press Ganey has been
collecting such data.

The 2010 Hospital Pulse Report also measured the top priority of more than 3
million hospital inpatients in 2,162 hospitals in 2009. According to Press
Ganey’s National Inpatient Priority Index, the top three inpatient concerns are
“effective communication,” “empathy” and “relationship building.” For the first
time in four years, “promptness in responding to the call button” did not make
the top five items in the index.

“The practice of hourly rounding at hospitals has been embedded as a standard of
care in most organizations,” said Mylod. “Hourly rounding programs help reduce
patient anxiety as patients feel they will be checked on routinely by a
healthcare professional.”

With increased competition with other freestanding outpatient centers, many
hospitals have also placed greater emphasis on the outpatient experience -
improving parking, offering amenities such as valet parking and even redesigning
outpatient facilities.

The highest priorities of outpatients tend to center around meeting the
emotional needs of the patient. The top three concerns Press Ganey found for
outpatients include “response to concerns/complaints,” “sensitivity to needs”
and “staff concern for questions/worries.” This data is based on more than 2.2
million outpatient responses from 1,431 facilities in 2009.

The2010 Press Ganey Hospital PulseReportisavailable
at:http://www.pressganey.com/researchResources/hospitals/pulseReports.aspx

Press Ganey Associates, Inc.

Recognized as a leader in performance improvement for 25 years, Press Ganey
partners with more than 10,000 health care organizations to create and sustain
high performing organizations, and, ultimately, improve the overall health care
experience. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of solutions to help
clients operate efficiently, improve quality, increase market share and optimize
reimbursement. Press Ganey works with clients from across the continuum of care
- hospitals, medical practices, home health agencies and other providers -
including 50% of all U.S. hospitals. For more information, visit
www.pressganey.com.

SOURCE Press Ganey Associates, Inc.