Recent results from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) show that VA’s investments in its customer experience program continues to yield significant improvements in the VA patient experience.
In HCAHPS’s April 2023 release, 72% of VA medical centers received four or five HCAHPS Summary Stars for the patient survey rating, compared with 41% of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) hospitals reporting HCAHPS Summary Stars during the same period.
VA Hospitals
Five years ago, only 26% of VA hospitals received four or five HCAHPS Stars for Patient Survey Rating, rising to 72% in the latest April 2023 results. The recent HCAHPS data indicates that VA facilities outperformed community hospitals on all 10 core patient satisfaction metrics including overall hospital rating, communication with doctors, communication about medication, care transition and more.
After consulting industry leaders and best practices, VA conducted a broad qualitative research project to better understand Veterans’ life journeys. Using the Human Centered Design (HCD) methodology, VA created what became the Veteran Journey Map.
In June 2021, VA sent inpatient surveys after identifying what matters most to veterans in their inpatient hospitalization and discharge experience. Over 18,000 Veterans provided feedback in fiscal year (FY) 2023 with 89.3% of inpatient veterans reported they trusted VA for their health care.
After analyzing survey data, VA gained a better understanding of its customers and launched innovative initiatives using hospital discharge techniques to improve the patient’s experience. Approximately 92% of Veterans Health Administration employees have been trained in VA’s customer experience training program,
VA facilities nationwide have already implemented several of these patient experience programs. These programs ensure every employee is trained and focused on consistent delivery of care in an exceptional manner. Veterans’ journeys will continue to evolve, and VA stands ready to implement initiatives to provide a better patient experience across the organization. Courtesy of VA.