Ann Emerg Med. 2014 Mar 20. pii: S0196-0644(14)00132-2. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2014.02.021. [Epub ahead of print]

Patient Satisfaction Surveys and Quality of Care: An Information Paper.

Farley H1, Enguidanos ER2, Coletti CM3, Honigman L4, Mazzeo A5, Pinson TB6, Reed K7, Wiler JL8.

Author information

• 1Department of Emergency Medicine, Christiana Care Health System, Newark, DE. Electronic address: hfarley@christianacare.org.
• 2Department of Emergency Medicine, Providence Regional Medical Center, Everett, WA.
• 3Department of Emergency Medicine, Christiana Care Health System, Newark, DE.
• 4Department of Emergency Medicine, the George Washington University Hospital, Washington, DC.
• 5Department of Emergency Medicine, Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital, Darby, PA.
• 6Department of Emergency Medicine, Mayes County Medical Center, Pryor, OK.
• 7Department of Emergency Medicine, MedStar Harbor Hospital, Baltimore, MD.
• 8Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO.

Abstract

With passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, payment incentives were created to improve the "value" of health care delivery. Because physicians and physician practices aim to deliver care that is both clinically effective and patient centered, it is important to understand the association between the patient experience and quality health outcomes. Surveys have become a tool with which to quantify the consumer experience. In addition, results of these surveys are playing an increasingly important role in determining hospital payment. Given that the patient experience is being used as a surrogate marker for quality and value of health care delivery, we will review the patient experience-related pay-for-performance programs and effect on emergency medicine, discuss the literature describing the association between quality and the patient-reported experience, and discuss future opportunities for emergency medicine.