With new payment reform linked to patient satisfaction, it is important for healthcare providers to understand how patient satisfaction and surgical quality correlate.
In a recent blog post, Somnia Anesthesia looks at two studies that examine this potential correlation.
The first study from the Annals of Surgery's January 2015 issue and the ECRI Institute showed hospitals scoring in the highest quartile of patient satisfaction also had high process of care performance, lower readmission rates and lower mortality.
The second study from JAMA Surgery's June 2015 issue investigated mortality, complication and readmission rates of more than 100,000 older patients across the U.S. Researchers concluded that with lower risk of death there was minor complications and reduced readmission rates.
However, Somnia also sites other studies that do not reflect this sentiment.
A 2012 J.D. Power and Associated study correlated patient satisfaction to non-clinical aspects of the patient experience, such as personality and attentiveness of hospital staff.
A 2012 study from the University of California revealed that in a pool of 50,000 adult patients that indicated "most satisfied" with their experience were 12% more likely to be readmitted and 9% higher healthcare and prescription drug expenditures. More shocking, though, these patients were also 26% more likely to die.
No matter what study is the most conclusive, Somnia has a long-standing policy of linking its outcomes to patient satisfaction. The healthcare providers from Somnia are only looking to give quality care that will produce the most desirable outcomes.
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