What is the HCAHPS survey?

• A. The first national, standardized survey of patients' perspectives of hospital care.
• B. A survey of nurse satisfaction with care teams.
• C. A tool for patient risk assessment.
• D. A patient experience survey used across many hospitals.

Answer: (D)

HCAHPS is a standardized patient experience survey used across many hospitals to capture how patients perceived their hospital care. It asks about aspects like how well staff communicated with them, how responsive the staff were, how pain was managed, clarity of information about medications, discharge instructions, and overall satisfaction. The survey is given to a sample of adult patients after discharge, and the results are used for public reporting and to influence reimbursement through value-based programs. It’s not about nurse satisfaction or a risk assessment tool; its purpose is to measure patients’ experiences to help compare performance across hospitals and drive quality improvement.