• Kareem J Kebaish, Michael R Mercier, Phan Q Duy, Rohil Malpani, Anoop R Galivanche, and Jonathan N Grauer.
• Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.
• Spine. 2021 Sep 15; 46 (18): 1264-1270.

Study DesignRetrospective review.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to understand the potential correlation of the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey response time on reported satisfaction following spine surgery hospitalization.Summary Of Background DataWith increasing emphasis on patient satisfaction metrics, such as HCAHPS, hospital reputations, and reimbursements are being affected by the results of such surveys. HCAHPS is a 32-question survey about patient experience in the hospital and after discharge.MethodsHCAHPS surveys were routinely sent to all patients admitted after spine surgery at an academic medical center between January 2013 and August 2017. Survey data, survey return time, patient demographics, and 30-day postoperative outcomes were gathered for all spine surgery patients who returned the survey. Multivariate regression analysis controlling for age, sex, BMI, functional status, American Society of Anesthesiologists class, education, and race was used to determine whether there were differences in rates of "Top Box" response between different time ranges of survey return.ResultsIn total, 1495 consecutive spinal surgery patients who returned their HCAHPS survey were identified. Of these, 31.51% returned their surveys within 21 days, 48.09% returned them between 22 to 42 days, 13.58% returned them between 43 to 64 days, and 6.82% returned them ≥65 days after distribution. Multivariate regression demonstrated no statistical differences in reported satisfaction between surveys returned between days 0 to 21 and days 22 to 42. However, there were significantly lower scores reported by surveys returned on days 43 to 64 and 65 plus days.ConclusionCenters for Medicare and Medicaid Services only considers HCAHPS surveys returned within the first 42 days. It appears that the survey responses are similar over this time period. Beyond this time, lower scores are reported. Further attention to this less satisfied, later HCAHPS survey returning group seems warranted.Level of Evidence: 2.Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

8 keywords...

hide…