First few Article Sentences
Patient satisfaction is a top goal of hospitals throughout the US and the physical environment can be a major factor in enhancing the patient experience. In the 2012 HealthLeaders Media Patient Experience Survey nearly 84% of the top-level US healthcare executives said that patient experience is among their top three priorities, and 24% say it is their top priority. How the patient perceives their hospital experience has become a more important issue for US hospitals since 2007 when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) instituted the Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) annual payment update provisions. Utilizing HCAHPS as the first standardized, publicly reported survey of inpatient’s perspectives regarding their hospital stay, there can be a meaningful comparison of hospitals for consumers. This creates even more incentive to improve the quality of care and improve accountability of public investments in hospitals.