Latest news with #HCAHPS
Cision Canada
06-08-2025
- Health
- Cision Canada
PEP Health's Peer-Reviewed Research Validates AI-Powered Patient Experience Platform as Early Indicator of Hospital Quality
Study published in The Journal of Patient Experience demonstrates 99% accuracy in measuring patient experience from online sources, providing early warning system for hospital performance MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 6, 2025 /CNW/ - PEP Health, the AI-powered patient experience platform trusted by leading hospitals, payers, and health systems, announced the publication of its peer-reviewed research in The Journal of Patient Experience. The study validates PEP Health's proprietary technology, demonstrating that machine learning and natural language processing can accurately measure patient experience from unsolicited online reviews and serve as an early indicator of hospital quality performance. The study, "Using Online Reviews to Drive Person-Centered Care: An HCAHPS-Validated Approach," analyzed 1.3 million online reviews across U.S. hospitals and found statistically significant alignment between PEP Health's automated analysis and HCAHPS Summary Star Ratings, establishing online patient feedback as a reliable proxy for gold-standard quality measures. The full study is available here. With healthcare organizations facing anticipated budget cuts following recent federal legislation, the ability to identify and address patient experience issues before they impact HCAHPS scores and reimbursement has become critical for financial sustainability. "This peer-reviewed validation establishes that what patients say online provides an accurate, real-time measure of care quality," said Dr. Mark Lomax, CEO of PEP Health. "Healthcare leaders can now access validated patient experience insights months ahead of traditional surveys, enabling proactive interventions to improve outcomes and protect reimbursement before quality deterioration appears in official metrics." Turning Unsolicited Feedback into Timely, Actionable Data Collecting and analyzing unsolicited feedback at scale presents significant challenges. Online reviews are unstructured, feature slang, typos, and emojis, and are scattered across many diverse sources and platforms. PEP Health addresses this complexity through a proprietary approach that combines advanced machine learning with healthcare-specific natural language processing, trained on over 100,000 expertly annotated comments. "We've demonstrated that hospitals performing well on HCAHPS show higher PEP Scores," said Dr. Joe Taylor, Head of Data Science at PEP Health and co-author of the study. "We can provide healthcare leaders with an early warning system that identifies quality trends as they emerge. This enables specific, actionable insights on where to focus improvement efforts for maximum impact, giving more time to generate the best possible results for both patients and reimbursement." The research team achieved unprecedented accuracy levels: 99% accuracy in predicting overall patient experience scores 93-99% accuracy across seven domains of patient experience including Effective Treatment, Fast Access, and Emotional Support Statistically significant agreement with HCAHPS across all 13 measure-domain pairings tested Addressing Critical Gaps in Patient Experience Measurement Traditional surveys like HCAHPS remain essential for performance evaluation and are directly tied to Medicare reimbursement. However, they are retrospective, slow, and often exclude key voices. Survey response rates continue to decline, dropping from 33% in 2008 to 24% in 2023. Unsolicited online feedback offers a solution that's particularly valuable in today's environment. It's available daily, reflects a broader range of experiences, and captures perspectives from patients, family members, caregivers, and underrepresented populations without additional burden on patients or healthcare staff. Crucially, it provides health systems with specific priorities for improvement efforts, ensuring limited resources are directed where they can have the greatest impact on patient outcomes and financial performance. According to the study: "Patient experience is not 'just' part of quality; rather, a majority of patients cite quality, safety, and service as the key components of experience. Patient experience, whether positive or negative, is associated with profitability, patient loyalty and reduced risk of malpractice. Therefore, effective monitoring and interventions around patient experience not only lead to better health outcomes but also contribute to reduced readmission rates, higher patient retention, and lower operational costs." Don't wait for HCAHPS scores to identify quality issues. Reach out directly to see how PEP Health can provide early warning indicators for your health system. About PEP Health PEP Health's advanced AI uses healthcare-specific natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning to analyze diverse, unsolicited patient feedback from online sources such as social media, review platforms, and forums, alongside hospital surveys and internal data. By providing a comprehensive, real-time view of patient and community experiences, PEP Health helps healthcare providers gain insights that traditional surveys often miss. This approach enables organizations to understand patient preferences more deeply, focus on what matters most, and align care more effectively with evolving expectations.
Newsweek
11-06-2025
- Health
- Newsweek
Map Shows States With the Worst Hospital Ratings
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. New data has revealed the states where hospital care is the worst ranked by patients. The study, led from the University of Utah, analyzed 3,286 hospitals across the country, using data from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey, which ran from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022. Patients were asked to rate ten specific aspects of their hospital stay, including how they felt about communication with doctors and nurses, how clean their rooms were, and whether they received adequate information upon discharge. States were given an average rating on a five-point scale, with five stars being the highest possible score. New York and South Carolina were rated the poorest—in New York, patients rated doctor communication and cleanliness a two, with all other rankings receiving a one; while South Carolina received a two on all rankings except for cleanliness, which received a one. South Dakota was the only state to receive a five-star rating, getting fives across the board apart except for "communications about medicines" and "care transition", which were both rated at four stars. While not displayed in the above map, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico also recieved poor rankings, particularly in critical areas such as staff responsiveness and discharge information to patients. According to the researchers, the Midwest was the region with the most satisfied patients on average, with high scores around staff communication and hospital cleanliness in particular. As the study was conducted on patient reviews during the COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions, it noted that the healthcare issues may have changed or improved in the years since. However, the findings may still guide policymakers in efforts to emulate the outcomes of the highest-performing regions. "While one might expect no significant differences in patient satisfaction among hospitalized patients across the U.S., our findings revealed small but statistically significant regional variations," the team said in a statement. They added that disparities between states may indicate a need for policy reform or increased investment—such as funding hospital improvements or staff training initiatives. "These variations could also reflect unequal access to healthcare or differences in care quality among diverse populations." Despite this, the team noted that overall satisfaction and willingness to recommend a given hospital were "consistently rated moderately high" across the U.S., but "satisfaction scores were lowest for communication about medications and discharge information." Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about health care? Let us know via science@ Reference Hung, M., Vu, S., Hon, E. S., Reese, L., Gardner, J., & Lipsky, M. S. (2025). Unveiling the drivers of patient satisfaction in the United States hospitals: Assessing quality indicators across regions. PLOS ONE, 20(6).
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
James E. Van Zandt VA earns five-star rating for nighttime quietness
ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ) — At the James E. Van Zandt VA Medical Center, the only thing louder than their commitment to care is the national recognition for staying quiet. The Altoona-based facility was awarded a five-star quietness rating from Becker's Hospital Review, based on patient feedback from the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey. The survey, conducted nationally between July 2023 and June 2024, asked patients about their experience during overnight hospital stays, including how quiet their rooms were at night. The VA's consistent top-tier responses placed it among the best in the country for providing a restful environment. The recognition highlights not just the facility's efforts in maintaining peace and comfort for patients but also its broader focus on the overall hospital experience for veterans. Leadership at the center thanked veterans, caregivers and staff for making the achievement possible and emphasized the honor of being recognized on a national scale. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Healthcare Experience Foundation (HXF) Special Report: New Data Reveals First Look at Emerging Patient Experience Trends for Healthcare Delivery Following Mandated Updates to National Consumer Survey
PENSACOLA, Fla., May 01, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A special report, Initial Findings from HCAHPS 2.0: A New Era in Patient Experience, released by the Healthcare Experience Foundation (HXF) in collaboration with Professional Research Consultants (PRC), a third-party healthcare data and research firm, reveals that patients rank healthcare staff collaboration and team dynamics as the number one predictor of their likelihood to recommend a hospital (32%), and the number one predictor of overall hospital rating (38%). The report reveals an industry first-look at initial findings of data collected and analyzed from over 18,000 patient discharge surveys administered and collected in Q1 2025 from healthcare systems across the United States. The findings represent a first-of-its-kind glimpse into patients' perceptions of quality care following a comprehensive nation-wide update earlier this year to the annual Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey—the largest update to the survey since its inception in 2006. "For years, we've recognized—anecdotally and through experience—that strong team dynamics are essential to delivering exceptional patient care. With recent updates to the HCAHPS survey we're able to see for the first time in nearly 20 years, nationally, empirical data confirming just how critical collaboration among healthcare teams is to shaping the patient experience," says Katie Owens, President of Healthcare Experience Foundation. "The data was not previously available because care coordination items did not exist in past HCAHPS iterations," she adds, "and reveals that collaboration across teams is a more important predictor of patient experience than other factors previously measured." As a national, standardized, publicly reported data collection instrument developed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the HCAHPS survey measures patients' perspectives of their hospital experiences, including hospital quality and overall patient care. Other key findings from the Special Report include: Physicians and staff continue to drive overall patient experiences, but data reveals that nurses especially, who often have the most consistent and direct interactions with patients, are key influencers of overall care experience. Data reveals how quickly care teams respond to patient needs ranks third highest predictor of overall hospital rating, higher than other measures including restfulness and cleanliness of the hospital environment, physician communications, discharge information, and information about symptoms. Nearly 2 out of 3 patients (65.7%) report that their hospital stay was unplanned, underscoring the importance of care coordination across emergency and inpatient settings—further validating patients desires or seamless teamwork. "The survey is evolving to increase value for both patients and healthcare teams," said Steve Meth, Vice President and Chief Experience Officer at Johns Hopkins Medicine. "This wet read not only helps amplify healthcare consumers priorities about what matters most in their care, but also reveals actionable insights for healthcare leaders to respond nimbly to patient feedback." About Healthcare Experience Foundation: Healthcare Experience Foundation (HXF) is a national leader in healthcare coaching and consulting, serving more than 7,500 healthcare leaders and staff across 600+ organizations. With an average improvement of 24 national percentile points in HCAHPS performance, HXF empowers teams to lead with empathy, purpose, and excellence. Learn more at Healthcare Experience Foundation proudly powers PRC's Advisory, Coaching and Improvement Division. For more information, visit About PRC: Professional Research Consultants (PRC) is a leading experience management company dedicated to helping healthcare organizations create world-class experiences for patients, employees, physicians, and communities. Since 1980, PRC has partnered with over 2,800 healthcare organizations nationwide, delivering actionable insights through its proprietary healthcare discovery platform. PRC's solutions empower organizations to listen, understand, and act—driving measurable improvements in patient loyalty, employee engagement, physician alignment, and community health. Learn more at View source version on Contacts For media inquiries, please contact: Libby Sandberg850.324.3835libby@ Sign in to access your portfolio
Business Wire
01-05-2025
- Health
- Business Wire
Healthcare Experience Foundation (HXF) Special Report: New Data Reveals First Look at Emerging Patient Experience Trends for Healthcare Delivery Following Mandated Updates to National Consumer Survey
PENSACOLA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A special report, Initial Findings from HCAHPS 2.0: A New Era in Patient Experience, released by the Healthcare Experience Foundation (HXF) in collaboration with Professional Research Consultants (PRC), a third-party healthcare data and research firm, reveals that patients rank healthcare staff collaboration and team dynamics as the number one predictor of their likelihood to recommend a hospital (32%), and the number one predictor of overall hospital rating (38%). "With recent updates to the HCAHPS survey we're able to see for the first time in nearly 20 years, nationally, empirical data confirming just how critical collaboration among healthcare teams is to shaping the patient experience." Share The report reveals an industry first-look at initial findings of data collected and analyzed from over 18,000 patient discharge surveys administered and collected in Q1 2025 from healthcare systems across the United States. The findings represent a first-of-its-kind glimpse into patients' perceptions of quality care following a comprehensive nation-wide update earlier this year to the annual Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey—the largest update to the survey since its inception in 2006. 'For years, we've recognized—anecdotally and through experience—that strong team dynamics are essential to delivering exceptional patient care. With recent updates to the HCAHPS survey we're able to see for the first time in nearly 20 years, nationally, empirical data confirming just how critical collaboration among healthcare teams is to shaping the patient experience,' says Katie Owens, President of Healthcare Experience Foundation. 'The data was not previously available because care coordination items did not exist in past HCAHPS iterations,' she adds, 'and reveals that collaboration across teams is a more important predictor of patient experience than other factors previously measured.' As a national, standardized, publicly reported data collection instrument developed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the HCAHPS survey measures patients' perspectives of their hospital experiences, including hospital quality and overall patient care. Other key findings from the Special Report include: Physicians and staff continue to drive overall patient experiences, but data reveals that nurses especially, who often have the most consistent and direct interactions with patients, are key influencers of overall care experience. Data reveals how quickly care teams respond to patient needs ranks third highest predictor of overall hospital rating, higher than other measures including restfulness and cleanliness of the hospital environment, physician communications, discharge information, and information about symptoms. Nearly 2 out of 3 patients (65.7%) report that their hospital stay was unplanned, underscoring the importance of care coordination across emergency and inpatient settings—further validating patients desires or seamless teamwork. 'The survey is evolving to increase value for both patients and healthcare teams,' said Steve Meth, Vice President and Chief Experience Officer at Johns Hopkins Medicine. 'This wet read not only helps amplify healthcare consumers priorities about what matters most in their care, but also reveals actionable insights for healthcare leaders to respond nimbly to patient feedback.' About Healthcare Experience Foundation: Healthcare Experience Foundation (HXF) is a national leader in healthcare coaching and consulting, serving more than 7,500 healthcare leaders and staff across 600+ organizations. With an average improvement of 24 national percentile points in HCAHPS performance, HXF empowers teams to lead with empathy, purpose, and excellence. Learn more at Healthcare Experience Foundation proudly powers PRC's Advisory, Coaching and Improvement Division. For more information, visit About PRC: Professional Research Consultants (PRC) is a leading experience management company dedicated to helping healthcare organizations create world-class experiences for patients, employees, physicians, and communities. Since 1980, PRC has partnered with over 2,800 healthcare organizations nationwide, delivering actionable insights through its proprietary healthcare discovery platform. PRC's solutions empower organizations to listen, understand, and act—driving measurable improvements in patient loyalty, employee engagement, physician alignment, and community health. Learn more at
