Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems

Brigham and Women’s Hospital participates in the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey, which was developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), a federal agency responsible for improving national health care quality and patient safety.

Similar to the Press Ganey Inpatient Satisfaction Survey, it seeks to measure aspects of the patient experience that aren’t addressed by medical outcomes data.

The survey includes two general questions that ask patients to rate their overall hospital experience and their willingness to recommend BWH to other patients, and two or more questions in each of the following quality-of-care categories:

• Communication with doctors
• Communication with nurses
• Responsiveness of hospital staff
• Communication about medicines
• Cleanliness of hospital environment
• Quietness of hospital environment
• Discharge information
• Care Transition

HCAHPS Results: January - December 2019

HCAHPS Results: January - December 2019

How are we doing?

BWH consistently scores above state and national averages in nearly every aspect of care measured. Our overall rating is well above state and U.S. averages, and our patients' willingness to recommend BWH is also well above state and national averages.

What are we doing to improve?

We intend to take patient satisfaction to the next level through the work of our Service Excellence program. Involving multiple clinical and administrative departments throughout the institution, this program has developed quality improvement initiatives that address our infrastructure and our processes.

Recent improvements include room service for meals, private rooms, upgraded television systems, a health education library, an upgraded nurse call system, quicker room repairs, and the development of a committee to focus on acute pain management. Learn more about our patient satisfaction improvement efforts.