The healthcare industry will continue to have its radar locked on the issue of Patient Safety in 2017. Some of the targets and goals are only vaguely visible from the 30,000-foot level, while others are in clear focus on the ground before us. Depending on where you stand (or fly), opportunities abound to improve patient safety. Let’s take a forward look into 2017, starting high in the clouds and descending eventually to earth.
Patient experience has emerged as one of the most important aspects of medical training in today’s healthcare environment. Patients are not only demanding satisfaction in their experience, they are researching hospital and provider satisfaction ratings to make sure others have had a positive experience prior to seeking medical care themselves.
Current strides in improving patient safety in hospitals and medical facilities provide clear evidence that the healthcare industry has the capacity for meaningful change. However, providers continue to face significant obstacles; perhaps the biggest obstacle of all revolves around developing and expanding a vigorous “safety culture.” Indeed, much of the focus has been on technology and incremental process improvement, but building a “culture” is the foundational contributor to ensuring patient safety.
The patient satisfaction survey, HCAHPS, reflects patients’ perspectives of their hospital experience. The survey results are used to compare hospitals to each other using measures that are significant to healthcare consumers. HCAHPS scores are used by CMS to determine a slice of reimbursement to hospitals, making up 25% of a hospital’s Total Performance Score in the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing program for 2016.
Providing a better patient experience continues to challenge hospitals and other medical facilities, despite:
What prompted this deluge of interest?
What follows is a summary of program updates for FY2017 that will impact healthcare reimbursement.
Value-Based Purchasing Program:
The Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Program for FY2017 (with performance period of 2015) will focus on several domains:
