Hospitals in Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska and South Dakota have the highest physician communication scores, while hospitals in New Jersey have the lowest, CMS data shows.
CMS collects and publicly reports data on physician communication as part of its HCAHPS survey data. The measure assesses the percentage of patients who reported that their physicians "always" communicated well. The data was collected in 2023 and published in CMS' Provider Data Catalog Oct. 30.
Nationwide, 80% of patients reported physicians always communicated well, up one percentage point from the year prior, according to CMS data.
See how each state and Washington, D.C., stack up below. Note: The list includes ties.
- Louisiana — 85%
Mississippi — 85%
Nebraska — 85%
South Dakota — 85%
- Iowa — 84%
Idaho — 84%
Kansas — 84%
Minnesota — 84%
North Dakota — 84%
- Alabama — 83%
Arkansas — 83%
Montana — 83%
- Alaska — 82%
Colorado — 82%
Kentucky — 82%
Maine — 82%
Utah — 82%
Wisconsin — 82%
Wyoming — 82%
- North Carolina — 81%
Oklahoma — 81%
South Carolina — 81%
Tennessee — 81%
Texas — 81%
Vermont — 81%
West Virginia — 81%
- Georgia — 80%
Missouri — 80%
Oregon — 80%
Rhode Island — 80%
- Hawaii — 79%
Illinois — 79%
Indiana — 79%
Massachusetts — 79%
New Hampshire — 79%
Ohio — 79%
Pennsylvania — 79%
Virginia — 79%
Washington — 79%
- Connecticut — 78%
Michigan — 78%
- Washington, D.C. — 76%
Maryland — 76%
New Mexico — 76%
New York — 76%
- Arizona — 75%
California — 75%
Delaware — 75%
Florida — 75%
Nevada — 75%
- New Jersey — 74%