An Econometric Study Evaluating the Role of "Office of Patient Experience" on Experiential Outcomes in U.S. Hospitals
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Date
2016-03-30
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Abstract
Since the inception of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), there has been a drastic change in the delivery of healthcare. Payment reform was one of the key attributes of the PPACA, shifting the reimbursement model from fee-for-service to value based purchasing (VBP). In the VBP model, payments are bundled and reimbursement is based on a VBP score. The VBP score is comprised of 70% process management (Quality & Safety) and 30% patient experience during their hospital stay. Patient experience is measured by the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) score. These measures are quantifiable and beginning FY2013, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid began using the HCAHPS survey to determine reimbursement rates as part of VBP model. Since patient experience has become a vital component of the reimbursement model, hospitals are taking initiatives to improve this patient experience dimension and raise their scores on HCAHPS surveys. One such change is the emergence of “Office of Patient Experience” (OPE) as an independent governing entity responsible for improving patient experience and satisfaction. In this multi-year observational study, we hope to gain insights on the role of such offices across all hospitals in the U.S. and their effects on experiential outcomes in silico. We find that hospitals with OPEs perform better than hospitals without OPEs on six of the ten dimensions of the HCAHPS survey. This study offers theoretical insights on mechanisms to improve patient-centered care through the use of the OPE. Significant practical implication of this research include helping hospital leadership with the decision of whether to invest in an OPE or not and how to structure their OPE.
Description
Business/Education/Speech and Hearing Science: 4th Place, Honorable Mention (The Ohio State University Denman Undergraduate Research Forum)
Keywords
Healthcare, Patient Experience, Management, Value-Based Purchasing