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Patient ethnicity, hospital size may predict patient satisfaction ratings

Patient satisfaction can be predicted depending on the size of a hospital and primary language, which may harm hospitals’ scores on CMS’s Hospital Value-Based Purchasing incentive program, according to recently published results.

“Across the country, large hospital size and non-English as a primary language predicted poor patient satisfaction scores while white race and higher education level predicted better scores. Other demographic factors were also important but these four were the most significant,’ Daniel McFarland, DO, clinical fellow at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said in a press release.

To examine the correlation between patient satisfaction and factors outside of hospital control, such as demographic factors, hospital-level data and county-level data, researchers analyzed data from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) surveys and county demographics from the U.S. Census Bureau. The researchers then constructed an adjustment formula to predict and account for disproportions in patients’ satisfaction scores.

Results demonstrated that unfavorable HCAHPS scores were found among larger and non-English speaking hospitals. Higher levels of educations and white ethnicity among patients resulted in more satisfactory HCAHPS scores.

The researchers noted that these health care inequalities in patient satisfaction negatively impact the Hospital Value-based Purchasing incentive program scores in hospitals that treat greater amounts of non-English speaking, lower educated and non-white patients, since CMS does not account for regional variations in their adjustments.

“This study points out that the interpretation of patient satisfaction scores can be very complex. It is important to understand these trends in order to provide the highest quality of patient experience,” Sandra Myerson, MBA, MS, BSN, RN, senior vice president and chief patient experience officer, Mount Sinai Health System, said in a press release. – by Casey Hower

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.