Patient Satisfaction and Hospital Structure: How Are They Related?

This paper investigates the multiple dimensions of patient satisfaction measured by the HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) survey in the United States. The analysis reveals that even the highest rating hospitals do not excel on all dimensions of satisfaction. While satisfaction levels with nurse and doctor communication are high, satisfaction levels with discharge information and explanation of medications could be significantly improved. In addition, low rating hospitals seem to be doing better than the high rating hospitals on these critical dimensions for the quality of care. The paper also investigates how hospital structural characteristics captured in the American Hospital Association (AHA) survey affect different dimensions of patient satisfaction. The analysis reveals that these structural factors may have differential effects, i.e. the type of hospitals (e.g., teaching vs. non-teaching) has a relatively small effect on the hospital room environment than on communication and responsiveness. The results suggest that considering all patient satisfaction dimensions helps provide a more accurate picture of the care received by patients, makes it possible to pinpoint specific areas where hospitals are deficient that are not reflected in the overall satisfaction scores, and assists hospital management to design actionable strategies for improvement.