Do hospital-acquired condition scores correlate with patients' perspectives of care?

Area of Science:

• Health Policy
• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Patient Experience Research

Background:

• The Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) Reduction Program, implemented in fiscal year 2015, mandates payment reductions for hospitals with high HAC rates.
• This program incentivizes hospitals to prioritize quality and safety, potentially influencing patient satisfaction metrics tied to reimbursement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the correlation between hospital quality as measured by HAC scores and patient satisfaction.
• To determine if national policy efforts to reduce HACs may inadvertently affect patient experience.

Main Methods:

• Utilized publicly available data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare program.
• Analyzed the relationship between preliminary HAC scores and patient perspectives of care using the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey data.

Main Results:

• A modest negative correlation was found between higher quality of care (lower HAC score) and patient experience (r = -0.090, P < .001).
• This suggests that improved clinical quality is associated with a better patient experience.

Conclusions:

• While a modest association exists, further research is needed to fully understand the interplay between HAC reduction policies and patient satisfaction.
• Findings suggest that it may be possible to achieve both high-quality care and positive patient experiences without a trade-off.