A new report by HealthGrades on patient safety and satisfaction rates in hospitals across the United States finds that hospitals with the highest patient ratings in physician and nursing communications on average have fewer patient safety events. HealthGrades conducted the analysis of patient safety data for hospitalizations between 2008 and 2010. HealthGrades analyzed HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) hospital survey data obtained from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, from April 2010 to March 2011. HeathGrades also analyzed approximately 40 million Medicare hospitalizations in 5,000 hospitals from 2008 to 2010. The analysis was conducted using a method developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to calculate event rates for 13 indicators of patient safety.
Read full report, Patient Safety and Satisfaction: The State of American Hospitals (pdf)