4 best practices for boosting your HCAHPS scores

As the first national, standardized, and publicly reported survey of patients’ perspectives of medical care, the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey is essential for hospitals and health systems everywhere. HCAHPS scores determine up to 2% of Medicare payments, meaning that every patient interaction with clinical and non-clinical staff influences the bottom line.  

Patients often have the choice of where they receive care. At the same time, over half of American workers in the private sector are enrolled in high-deductible plans, meaning that they are more price-conscious than ever due to higher out-of-pocket costs.  

Having thousands of dollars in medical bills means they will pay close attention to how they’re treated when receiving care. When researching healthcare organizations, patients often use Hospital Compare, where the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) publishes HCAHPS data and how it aligns with state and national averages.    

With their financial health and reputation at stake, many hospitals and health systems are looking for strategies to help improve HCAHPS scores. Here are four ways clinical communication technology can help enhance care team collaboration and responses to provide the best patient experience possible:   

1. Creating rapid responses to patient requests  

The HCAHPS survey contains 29 questions sent to discharged patients. 19 core questions ask about various topics, such as the responsiveness of hospital staff. 

In the latest HCAHPS results, the average nationwide response in this category is 67%. Though encouraging, the results indicate that further improvement is needed; technology can equip clinicians with the insights they need to take timely, informed actions that ultimately increase their HCAHPS scores.  

Poor communication can negatively impact the quality and speed of patient care. For example, if calls for assistance are sent to a central nursing station, somebody must track down the nurse assigned to that patient, relay the message, and finally respond to the patient.  

Hospitals can eliminate these time-consuming steps with clinical alerting software that sends notifications directly from the patient’s nurse call button to the correct clinician’s preferred device. A care team member can connect to the patient’s pillow speaker to determine the need for medical intervention.   

If the patient wants a glass of water, the nurse can direct this request to a non-clinical staff member. In the case of bodily pain for the patient, they can respond immediately. Quick responses to patient requests will increase overall satisfaction while improving HCAHPS scores.    

2. Minimizing distractions with better alert and notification management  

Among the HCAHPS questions, patients are specifically asked about the “quietness of the hospital environment” during their stay. The most recent report from the CMS shows that the national average ranks lower (62%) than other categories.  

Sleep plays a crucial role in patient health and recovery. Without enough quality rest, patients can experience adverse effects such as mood changes, weakened immune functions, or even cardiovascular issues. 

Hospitals can be noisy, with numerous beeps, overhead paging, and hallway conversations. A 2024 research article found that over one-third (39%) of participants in a respiratory ward had their sleep disrupted by noise.  

Patient monitoring devices are some of the loudest culprits, leading to alert fatigue among clinicians and increased patient safety hazards. Critical signals should never be disabled, but hospitals can reduce the frequency of other alerts with innovative management tools.

Secure messaging solutions are another way to create a quieter environment for rest and recovery. By allowing care team members to communicate discreetly instead of talking out loud, patients won’t be bothered by hallway conversations and are more likely to have positive responses to the HCAHPS survey.  

3. Streamlining critical test notifications for enhanced care coordination  

If your hospital relies on manual processes to deliver test results, such as phone calls or handwritten notes, your patients can experience the effects of delayed care. Their dissatisfaction will be reflected in their feedback—and ultimately your HCAHPS data.   

Critical test result notification (CTRN) solutions with closed-loop communication eliminate barriers between radiology departments and ordering physicians. This technology automatically flags abnormal outcomes that require medical intervention and routes this information to the ordering physician in real time.  

Care teams can then make quicker decisions that can prevent further complications. As a result, patients will be happier with the care, which directly contributes to better responses to HCAHPS questions. 

4. Optimizing discharge processes  

When patients are finished receiving care, they expect a smooth and effective discharge from your hospital. Communication breakdowns among your care teams can leave patients with poor experiences before they complete the HCAHPS survey.  

In a 2023 study, patients expressed their opinions after staying in a New England hospital. While many participants noted that the discharge process is complicated, some were frustrated about these uncertainties that caused delays. One respondent said: “…They couldn’t really give me a time or even a ballpark in the beginning. So I wasn’t sure the time I was going home and that kind of made it difficult to arrange a ride … Like the whole process wasn’t clear.” 

Secure messaging streamlines the overall process by sending messages from the patient’s EHR, while taking advantage of accurate on-call scheduling capabilities within a staff directory to reach the entire team. 

Clinicians can then approve a patient’s discharge while coordinating with non-clinical staff for transportation services. Streamlining this release process ensures that patients leave sooner and happier, reflecting more positive responses to the HCAHPS questionnaire.  

Healthcare organizations have taken tremendous steps to improve HCAHPS scores, but there’s still a long road ahead. Many factors influence patient satisfaction, but clear communication is at the core of nearly every interaction with hospital staff. Technology can make a substantial difference and help deliver better patient experiences by quickly connecting care teams.  

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in September 2017 and has been updated for relevancy and accuracy.