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Hospitals improve care in 2006, but patient complaints persist

Hospitalist Leadership Connection, May 2, 2007

Patient satisfaction with hospitals nationwide increased in 2006, according to a survey released April 24 by Press Ganey Associates, a healthcare quality measurement organization based in South Bend, IN. However, patients continued to express dissatisfaction with some aspects of their hospitalization, including the discharge process. 

Hospitals' collective average rating among patients last year was 84.2 (out of 100), up from 83.0 in 2001, according to the surveyors. However, according to Press Ganey, persistent complaints from patients occurred in the following areas:

·          room conditions

·          food quality

·          the discharge process

More than half of patients' comments about room conditions were negative, while more than a third of comments about meals and discharge from hospitals were negative.

The report examined the experiences of 2.3 million patients treated at more than 1,700 U.S. acute-care hospitals.

To access the survey, go to www.pressganey.com.

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