Think of it as the Michelin ranking for hospitals. Just as hotels and restaurants
are awarded with stars for delivering on promises— these days so
are hospitals. The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers
and Systems (HCAHPS) survey asks patients to rate their experiences at
key medical centers. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
measures the results of the government-mandated survey and each quarter
gives the hospitals stars based on those results.
Torrance Memorial Medical Center has earned a four-star rating— one
of only four in Los Angeles County—placing it in the top 5% of hospitals
in the area. And while no hospital in the county earned five stars this
quarter, that may be Torrance Memorial’s next goal.
“Believe me, when we received notice we were going to get this rating,
I got very excited,” says Mary Matson, who as director of service
excellence coordinates Torrance Memorial’s patient experience improvement
efforts. “A four-star rating has been an organizational goal set
by our Board of Trustees. We have moved up from a three to a four, which
is not easy to do. Our goal was to reach four stars by the end of 2017.
So we not only reached our goal, we also did it early.”
BY THE NUMBERS
As a comparison, 3,499 hospitals in the coun- try are eligible for HCAHPS
ratings, 82 in Los Angeles County. Hospitals that participate must have
at least 100 completed surveys in a 12-month reporting period. During
the 12-month period reflected in these ratings, Torrance Memorial collected
more than 3,000 surveys.
A large sampling of patients is randomly mailed confidential surveys after
their release from the hospital, and patients are asked to rate everything
from communication with staff, to pain management and cleanliness of the
environment. “They also are asked toratetheir overall experience,”
Matson explains, “and Torrance Memorial scores very, very high in
that category.” Matson says the scores, as well as the written comments
on the surveys, are used to constantly improve the patient’s—and
family’s—experience.
“By their survey responses our patients are telling us we are doing
a better job of communicating, and we have been working on that collectively
from every touchpoint in the hospital. Valet, security officer, admitting,
clinical and non-clinical services—we are all working together to
provide a better experience to our patients and their families. Even the
volunteers,” Matson continues, “are often the first touch,
at the information desk and the last touch at discharge. We recognize
the patient experience starts even before they arrive, with appointments
and referrals, and continues after discharge with rehab and follow-up.”
President and CEO Craig Leach embraces this concept: “It is all thanks
to employees, physicians and volunteers at Torrance Memorial and the effort
they put into making each encounter with patients caring and thoughtful.”
Torrance’s four-star campaign even has a motto: “4-stars for
a reason. . . and the reason is you.” Matson explains, “The
YOU applies to anyone—patients, staff, physicians, community members,
donors, even the South Bay itself. My hope is the patient is always at
the center and feels that.”
Matson clarifies how tough it is for a hospital the size of Torrance Memorial
with its 470 beds and extensive staff of employees and volunteers (there
are nearly 1,000 registered nurses!), to earn four and five stars. “Only
seven hospitals in California received a five-star rating, most of which
are smaller or specialty hospitals.”
RESULTS YOU CAN TRUST
“It is important to get this kind of feedback from patients,”
says Matson. “We welcome their scores, comments, and even complaints,
because they represent the voice of our patients telling us about their
experiences. It provides a great sense of accomplishment for the Torrance
Memorial team to know that when you work together you can get tangible
results like a four-star rating.”
“A star rating is a concept with which people are familiar,”
Matson continues. “Healthcare consumers can trust the HCAHPS star
ratings because they represent patient feedback about things that are
important to them in their hospital experience. These ratings can help
people make important decisions about their health care.”