Our readers have mentioned that they receive patient satisfaction surveys from H oag Orthopedic Institute.

While they know how they responded, they dont know the overall ratings. In order to help our readers understand patient satisfaction an d the way that HOI utilizes their response, we have requested an interview with Dereesa Reid, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Hoag Orthopedic Inst itute. HOI: Thank you very much, Ms. Reid, for agreeing to an interview. Well start by a sking a fairly obvious question does HOI receive high patient satisfaction ratin gs? Dereesa Reid: The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Syste ms (HCAHPS) is a national standardized survey that surveys discharged patients o n questions that are critical to the patients hospital experience. Participating hospital HCAHPS scores are reported on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Hospital Compare website, http://www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov/. HOIs sco res should be posted on the public website in the next few months. One of the key survey questions asks patients willingness to recommend the hospit al. Since inception, HOI has consistently been rated by our patients in the top 3 -5% in the nation. HOI: What is measured in the HOI patient satisfaction survey? Are the questions primarily subjective or are there objective measurements as well? Dereesa Reid: In 2002, CMS partnered with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to develop the HCAHPS survey which is also endorsed by the Natio nal Quality Forum, an organization that represents broad spectrum of healthcare providers, professional associations, quality and research organizations, and go vernment agencies. The HCAHPS survey is comprised of 27 questions with 18 questions specifically fo cusing on communication with physicians and nurses, cleanliness and quietness of the environment, pain management, discharge information and willingness to reco mmend the hospital. HOI: Do you see evidence that patient satisfaction surveys help you identify way s of improving? Dereesa Reid: Absolutely! HOI monitors the survey questions for the slightest change in trends. We are able to see patient satisfaction results by inpatient unit and by comparison to over 1,700 hospitals in the database. HOI uses the su rvey results to make continuous improvements in the way we deliver care to our p atients. HOI also compares our survey results to a sub-set of hospitals that ar e nationally known as top orthopedic hospitals. By comparison, HOI continues to rank at the highest levels when compared to the best-in-class hospitals. HOI: What method does HOI use to measure quality? How is quality of care measure ment different from patient satisfaction measurement? Dereesa Reid: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), defines a s et of quality core measures that are used to compare hospitals across the nation and drive clinical excellence. These quality indicators have been shown to red uce the risk of complications and prevent hospital readmissions. In addition, H OI tracks long-term functional outcomes to insure that our patients regain their full potential months and even years beyond their orthopedic surgery. Last but not least our physicians and nurses continually collaborate on best practices t hat improve the overall quality of care. Most recently, our anesthesiologists h ave been working with our surgeons and perioperative team on improving patient w arming which is correlated with lower risk of infections.

HOI: Finally, our readers have asked what it means to be in the Top 60 Hospitals. Is this based on high quality of care measurements? Dereesa Reid: In August 2011, Beckers Hospital Review, a national healthcare publ ication, listed Hoag Orthopedic Institute among 60 Hospitals with Top Orthopedic Programs. To be ranked on this list, these hospitals demonstrate outstanding ort hopedic surgery reputations, cutting-edge research, and perform high number of j oint replacements annually.