Most hospitals covet nocturnists, who make high salaries for covering a majority of night shifts.
Performance Anxiety
I just started working as a hospitalist. I was told that the federal government surveys patients about the care I provide in the hospital. Is this true?
Newbie in Fort Lauderdale
Dr. Hospitalist responds: I believe you are referring to the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) hospital survey. It is a standardized instrument designed to measure patients’ perspective of care in acute care hospitals.
Hospital participation is optional. Many hospitals survey patients about their perceptions of care after they leave the hospital. Press Ganey Associates works with hospitals nationwide to conduct the surveys. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Joint Commission encourage hospitals to incorporate the CAHPS questions into any other surveys being performed. The survey has 27 questions that cover seven topic areas:
- Communication with doctors;
- Communication with nurses;
- Hospital staff responsiveness;
- Pain management;
- Communication about medicines;
- Hospital environment; and
- Discharge information.
Three questions ask about communication with doctors:
- How often did the doctors treat you with courtesy and respect?
- How often did doctors listen carefully to you?
- How often did doctors explain things so you could understand?
The survey will produce data that not only will “allow comparison between hospitals, it will create an incentive for hospitals to improve quality of care and to increase accountability by increasing transparency.” Data collection for the initial period from October 2006 to June 2007 will be publicly reported in March 2008 on the Hospital Compare Web site: www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov. For additional information, go to www.hcaphsonline.org. TH