50+ HCAHPS Survey Questions You Need to Ask

Looking for HCAHPS survey questions? We’ve got you covered.

In this article, we will:

• Get a quick rundown of HCAHPS and its purpose.
• Learn the seven areas to be measured with HCAHPS survey questions.
• Check out some common questions related to HCAHPS.

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For the rest of us, Let’s get some clarity on HCAHPS and HCAHPS survey questions before revisiting the template for enhancement.

What is HCAHPS?

The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey questions measure a patient’s treatment and experience at a healthcare facility. They are given to patients during or shortly after their release.

How is HCAHPS different from other patient discharge forms?

• HCAHPS surveys are standardized. We can add a section for customized, hospital-specific questions, but the core questions remain the same. This lets you capture consistent patient information on their healthcare experience and enables a more meaningful comparison.
• HCAHPS surveys are a national standard in the US. Patient satisfaction surveys are common. But the HCAHPS was the first national survey for collecting and publicly reporting patient feedback on healthcare.
• HCAHPS survey data is available in the public domain. You can find summaries and analyses of the results on hcahpsonline.org.

HCAHPS Survey Questions 2024

HCAHPS survey questions gather information on seven key areas.

#A. Care from Nurses

1. How often did the nurse treat you with courtesy and respect during your hospital stay?

2. How often did the nurses listen carefully to you?

3. During your hospital stay, how often did the nurse explain things in a way you could understand?

4. After you pressed the “Call” button, how often did you get help as soon as you wanted it?

#B. Care from Doctors

5. How often did the doctor treat you with courtesy and respect?

6. How often did the doctor listen to you carefully?

7. How often did the doctor explain things in a way you could understand?

#C. The Hospital Environment

8. How often were your room and bathroom kept clean during this hospital stay?

9. How often was the area around the room quiet at night?

#D. The Hospital Experience

10. Did you need help from the nurses or other hospital staff getting to the bathroom/in using a bedpan?

11. How often did you get help getting to the bathroom/in using a bedpan as soon as you wanted?

12. Were you given any medicine you had not taken before?

13. Before giving you any new medication, how often did the staff tell you what the medicine was for?

14. Before giving you any new medication, how often did the staff describe possible side effects in a way you could understand?

#E. Leaving the Hospital

15. After leaving the hospital, did you go directly to your home, someone else’s home, or another health facility?

16. During this hospital stay, did doctors, nurses, or other staff talk with you about whether you would have the help you needed when you left the hospital?

17. Did you get information in writing about what symptoms or health problems to look out for after you left the hospital?

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#F. Overall Rating of the Hospital

18. How would you rate this hospital during your stay?

19. Would you recommend this hospital to your friends or family?

#G. About the Patient

20. During this hospital stay, were you admitted through the Emergency Room?

21. Overall, how would you rate your physical health?

22. Overall, how would you rate your mental or emotional health?

23. What is the highest grade or school level that you have completed?

24. Are you of Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino origin or descent?

25. What is your race? Please choose one or more.

26. What language do you mainly speak at home?

#H. Communication About Medicines

34. How often did hospital staff check with you to ensure you understood your medications’ dosage and timing?
35. Were you given clear written information about the medications you would take at home?

#I. Discharge Information

36. Did hospital staff provide you with written information about what to do if your health condition worsened after discharge?
37. How clearly did hospital staff explain the follow-up care you would need after leaving?

#J. Pain Management

38. How often did hospital staff ask about the level of your pain?
39. Were you given options to help manage your pain aside from medication?

#K. Responsiveness of Hospital Staff

40. How often did hospital staff address your needs promptly after you requested assistance?
41. Did you feel the staff prioritized your care and promptly responded to your concerns?

#L. Transition of Care

42. Did hospital staff provide you with resources or contacts for questions and concerns after discharge?
43. How well did the hospital coordinate with your primary care provider or specialist for your post-discharge care?

#M.Understanding Health Conditions

44. Did the hospital staff provide you with educational materials about your health condition?
45. How often did the staff check your understanding regarding the treatment and care instructions for your condition?

#N.Overall Satisfaction

46. How likely are you to use the same hospital for future healthcare needs?
47. How well did the hospital meet your expectations for care and treatment?

#O. Family Communication

48. How often did hospital staff update your family or friends about your condition and care?
49. Did the hospital provide adequate support and facilities for your visiting family and friends?

#P. Hospital Food

50. How often did the hospital accommodate your dietary preferences or restrictions?
51. Did the hospital provide a variety of meal options to choose from during your stay?

#Q. Hospital Safety

52. How often did hospital staff discuss safety measures (like fall prevention) with you?
53. Were you informed about who to contact in case of an emergency or safety concern during your stay?

Why is HIPAA compliance important in HCAHPS surveys?

HIPAA compliance refers to meeting the requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, a U.S. law that mandates the protection of patient health information privacy and security.

1. Keeps Patient Information Private: HIPAA helps ensure that personal health details in surveys stay confidential.
2. Builds Trust: Patients are more comfortable giving honest feedback if they know their information is protected.
3. Follows the Law: Hospitals must follow HIPAA rules to avoid legal problems.
4. Safe Handling of Survey Answers: HIPAA ensures that the survey responses are kept safe and used properly.
5. Improves Healthcare: When patients know their privacy is protected, they provide feedback that helps hospitals get better.

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FAQs

Who can take the HCAHPS survey?

Any patient at least 18 years old at the time of admission to the hospital can take the survey. They must also have stayed at least one whole night and should not have any psychiatric diagnosis.

Who is not covered under the HCAHPS?

Patients who are under 18 at the time of admission, and psychiatric patients, aren’t covered under the survey. The current HCAHPS survey questions aren’t designed to cover these patients’ unique situations and needs.

Moreover, some patient categories, like prisoners and those with a home address outside the US, are also ineligible because collecting feedback from them is physically challenging enough to be unfeasible.

What are the three goals of the HCAHPS survey?

According to the HCAHPS Fact Sheet, the three broad goals of HCAHPS surveys include:

• It enables meaningful comparisons of hospitals on matters that are important to patients.
• They are creating incentives to improve the current quality of care – through public reporting of results.
• Improving accountability of hospitals by increasing transparency about the way they operate.

How is the HCAHPS survey administered?

Hospitals can use a survey vendor or administer the HCAHPS survey through forms, mail, telephone, or interactive voice response.

Wrapping Up

As per the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), over 4,000 hospitals and three million patients participate in the HCAHPS survey.

If you’d like to participate or are looking to replicate this survey for your hospital, we hope this list is helpful.

Any questions? Drop us a line here. We’re always up for a chat!