Patient survey (HCAHPS)

 The HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) Survey, also known as the CAHPS® Hospital Survey or Hospital CAHPS®, is a standardized survey instrument and data collection methodology that has been in use since 2006 to measure patients' perspectives of hospital care. While many hospitals collect information on patient satisfaction, HCAHPS (pronounced “H-caps”) created a national standard for collecting and public reporting information that enables valid comparisons to be made across all hospitals to support consumer choice. The HCAHPS sampling protocol is designed to capture uniform information on hospital care from the patient’s perspective. Three broad goals shape the HCAHPS Survey. First, the survey is designed to produce comparable data on patients' perspectives of care that allows objective and meaningful comparisons among hospitals on topics that are important to consumers. Second, public reporting of the survey results is designed to create incentives for hospitals to improve quality of care. Third, public reporting serves to enhance public accountability in health care by increasing transparency.