Using patient evaluations to empirically assess medicaid programs for social justice.

The Medicaid program serves a social justice function in the United States. The program's effectiveness in achieving this aim is traditionally evaluated in terms of resource allocation and distribution using measures and concepts such as financing, access, and enrollment. The patient's perspective in ascertaining the quality of actual care delivery has not been utilized to ascertain social justice. This paper uses the confidential evaluations of 40% of the hospitals in Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Connecticut to compare the experiences of Medicaid patients versus privately insured patients hospitalized in 2002 and cross-validates results in independent samples collected in 2003 and 2004. The results found that Medicaid patients experienced interactions with physicians that resulted in lower ratings of statistical and practical significance than privately insured patients. Admissions and discharge processes were also rated lower by Medicaid patients. The "hotel" amenities provided by hospitals-room and meals-were rated more favorably by Medicaid patients. Yet there were no significant differences in Medicaid and private insurance patients' overall satisfaction with their acute care experience. Medicaid patients' evaluations should be considered a key component of evaluating whether a state's Medicaid program has achieved patients' and society's need for social justice.

Intensive care patients' evaluations of the informed consent process.

This study examines the informed consent process from the perspective of intensive care patients. Using the largest single-method database of patient-derived information in the United States, we systematically outlined and tested several key factors that influence patient evaluations of the intensive care unit (ICU) informed consent process. Measures of information, understanding, and decision-making involvement were found to predict overall patient satisfaction and patient loyalty intentions. Specific actions supportive of ICU informed consent, such as giving patients information on advance directives, patient's rights, and organ donation, resulted in significantly higher patient evaluation scores with large effect sizes. This research suggests that the effectiveness of the informed consent process in the ICU from the patient's perspective can be measured and evaluated and that ICU patients place a high value on the elements of the informed consent process.

State nursing shortages and patient satisfaction: more RNs--better patient experiences.

This study of 827,430 patients, 733 hospitals, and 25 states compares state performance in patient satisfaction with the supply of registered nurses. A significant, positive relationship exists between a state's supply of registered nurses and patients' evaluations of their care experiences. Hospitals in states with nursing shortages may be challenged by national comparisons of patient satisfaction and should take these results into account when devising their quality improvement strategy.

Customer convergence: patients, physicians, and employees share in the experience and evaluation of healthcare quality.

This article explores the interrelationships between three categories of service quality in healthcare delivery organizations: patient, employee, and physician satisfaction. Using the largest and most representative national databases available, the study compares the evaluations of hospital care by more than 2 million patients, 150,000 employees, and 40,000 physicians. The results confirm the relationship connecting employees' satisfaction and loyalty to their patients' satisfaction and loyalty. Patients' satisfaction and loyalty were also strongly associated with medical staff physicians' evaluations of overall satisfaction and loyalty to the hospital. Similarly, hospital employees' satisfaction and loyalty were related to the medical staff physicians' satisfaction with and loyalty to the hospital. Based upon the strength of the interrelationships, individual measures and subscales can serve as leverage points for improving linked outcomes. Patients, physicians, and employees, the three co-creators of health, agree on the evaluation of the quality of that service experience. The results demonstrate that promoting patient-centeredness, enhancing medical staff relations, and improving the satisfaction and loyalty of employees are not necessarily three separate activities in competition for hospital resources and marketing leadership attention.

Patient perceptions of quality in discharge instruction.

The present study investigates patient perceptions of the quality of discharge instruction by assessing inpatients' ratings of care and service in the United States over the past 5 years (1997-2001) (n = 4,901,178). As expected, patients' ratings of "instructions given about how to care for yourself at home" showed a strong, consistent positive relationship with overall patient satisfaction from 1997 through 2001. Nevertheless, patient satisfaction with discharge instructions decreased significantly each year (p < 0.001). Patients gave lower ratings to the quality of discharge instruction than to the overall quality of their hospital stay which indicates a failure to match the quality delivered among other services within the hospital. Patient assessments of discharge instruction quality varied systematically among conditions. Patients with musculoskeletal diseases and disorders (MDC-8) rated discharge instruction considerably lower than all other patient groups. Patients' age, sex, self-described health status and length of stay did not predict patients' evaluations of discharge instructions. U.S. hospitals may not be meeting existing AMA and JCAHO standards for patient education and discharge.

Your patient--my child: seven priorities for improving pediatric care from the parent's perspective.

Parents and professional caregivers, although united in their shared goal of returning a sick child to health, do not always view the caregiving situation from the same frame of reference. This article describes the perspectives of more than 50,000 parents whose child experienced a hospitalization. It outlines the greatest opportunities for improving the pediatric inpatient experience from the parent's perspective. In addition, practical tips and strategies for planning improvements in care from the patient/family perspective are offered.

Hospital-level correlation between clinical and service quality performance for heart failure treatment.

A national cross-sectional study correlates the satisfaction ratings of heart failure patients (diagnosis related group 127) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' process-based quality measures for heart failure treatment for 32 hospitals during the first and second quarters of 2004. Two of the four measures of clinical quality showed statistically significant, moderately strong, positive correlations with a global measure of satisfaction and with, respectively, 5 and 7 subscales of the 10 subscales of satisfaction under examination (Pearson's r ranged between .40 and .67, 2-tailed; p < .05). Findings demonstrate that quality need not be a zero-sum issue, with clinical quality and service quality competing for resources and attention.

Inpatient heart failure treatment from the patient's perspective.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was 2-fold: (1) to identify particular opportunities for improvement in patient-centered care of heart failure patients and (2) to suggest strategies for service quality improvement focusing on those areas. SAMPLE: A national cross-sectional sample of survey data from diagnostic-related group 127 patients was collected between December 1, 2001, and November 30, 2003. Data were split into two 12-month samples to compare results over time. The 2002 sample included 5224 patients treated at 220 hospitals; the 2003 sample included 6531 patients treated at 269 hospitals. METHOD: A standardized mail-out/mail-back methodology was used to collect data from random samples of patients within 5 days of discharge. RESULTS: For both samples, the ranking of service issues was highly similar, with the same 4 areas emerging as the foremost priorities: patient involvement in decision making, staff response to concerns voiced during the hospital stay, staff sensitivity to the inconvenience of heart failure and hospitalization, and emotional/spiritual support. Improvement in these 4 service areas should be associated with the greatest increases in patient satisfaction and quality of care for heart failure patients. CONCLUSIONS: Adequately addressing these patient needs should increase patient satisfaction and quality of care for heart failure patients.

Elderly inpatients' priorities for acute care service quality.

This study examines elderly and advanced elderly inpatients' perceptions of acute care service quality, prioritises opportunities for quality improvement, and assesses variation in patients' satisfaction with care. Psychometrically-validated postal questionnaires were sent to random samplings of patients discharged from the US acute care facilities in 2002 (n = 2,057,164). Quality improvement priorities among non-elderly (< 65 years), elderly (65-74 years), and advanced elderly (> 74 years) were similar but substantial variation was found comparing single items between age groups. Elderly and advanced elderly patients rated the quality of meals and rooms significantly lower than the non-elderly, and the advanced elderly rated treatment decision making involvement significantly lower than the other two age groups. The data reveals specific, actionable areas for quality improvement and a non-linear relationship between age and satisfaction. Findings question assumptions regarding older patients' evaluations of care and indicate directions for quality improvement that account for their unique needs.

Addressing patients' emotional and spiritual needs.

BACKGROUND: A comprehensive, systematic literature review and original research were conducted to ascertain whether patients' emotional and spiritual needs are important, whether hospitals are effective in addressing these needs, and what strategies should guide improvement. METHODS: The literature review was conducted in August 2002. Patient satisfaction data were derived from the Press Ganey Associates' 2001 National Inpatient Database; survey data were collected from 1,732,562 patients between January 2001 and December 2001. RESULTS: Data analysis revealed a strong relationship between the "degree to which staff addressed emotional/spiritual needs" and overall patient satisfaction. Three measures most highly correlated with this measure of emotional/spiritual care were (1) staff response to concerns/complaints, (2) staff effort to include patients in decisions about treatment, and (3) staff sensitivity to the inconvenience that health problems and hospitalization can cause. DISCUSSION: The emotional and spiritual experience of hospitalization remains a prime opportunity for QI. Suggestions for improvement include the immediate availability of resources, appropriate referrals to chaplains or leaders in the religious community, a team dedicated to evaluating and improving the emotional and spiritual care experience, and standardized elicitation and meeting of emotional and spiritual needs. Survey data suggested a focus on response to concerns/complaints, treatment decision making, and staff sensitivity.

Medical practices' sensitivity to patients' needs. Opportunities and practices for improvement.

This article presents the results of a national study of medical practices' patient satisfaction using data collected from January to December 2001 with Press Ganey Associates' Medical Practice Survey (n = 503,407). The question, "Our sensitivity to your needs" (r = 0.85), most highly correlated with overall patient satisfaction. Patients' age, sex, or first visit were not predictors of sensitivity to patients' needs. Responses highly correlated with sensitivity to patients' needs: (1) concern for patients' privacy, (2) cheerfulness of practice, (3) care received during visit, and (4) likelihood to recommend practice. Patient perception and satisfaction with medical practices' sensitivity to patient needs and recommended practices for improvement are discussed.