Patient Expectations in Hospitals Matter

The healthcare industry is becoming more consumer-driven and the growing population of health-conscious consumers is shifting the way hospitals work. Patient expectations are changing and this movement is pressuring healthcare organizations to re-evaluate their operations to better suit the needs of today's modern patient. Ever since the 2008 introduction of the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey, consumers have the ability to review and report patient satisfaction data that will provide valid comparisons of hospitals around the country.

Since HCAHPS' emergence, a 32-item survey is filled out and those scores and answers are available for display, giving consumers a first-hand look at how well patients are treated. From things like communication to how fast their experience was, the survey gives a detailed perspective of what others could expect. A patient's perception of care depends on their own observations of how well hospital employees work with each other, their performance and their commitment to quality care. Those hospitals who had highly engaged, team-oriented employees received high scores so it's not a surprise that the more motivated and enthusiastic hospitals rank better than others.

However, there are many reasons why other hospitals scored lower and one of them may be the lack of patient attention. This may not be due to negligence, but it could be due to outdated hospital workflows and processes that take precious time away for things like paperwork. To increase patient attention which will in turn, increase HCAHPS scores, hospitals need to invest in workflow automation software, print management systems and paperless, electronic documents.

Essentially, those above systems and updates will bring hospitals up to speed to meet the demands of the 21^st century. Too much time is spent on administrative activities like paperwork and document filing that those hospital employees could devote the time to the patient. Not only will it increase time spent with a patient, but it will also reduce costs because a significant amount of paper will no longer be needed. The data found in HCAHPS surveys can negatively impact patient expectations if the scores are bad and in order for hospitals to remain competitive, changes need to be made.