Patient Happiness Tied to Medicare Reimbursement

U.S. Ties Hospital Payments to Making Patients Happy by Janet Adams.  The Wall Street Journal.  October 14, 2012.

Over the next year $1 billion in government payments to hospitals will be based in part on patient satisfaction as determined by a 27-question government survey administered to patients.  This new emphasis on patient satisfaction tied to funding has had broad impact.  Some medical professionals view this approach as unfair with those at hospitals serving the poor are especially concerned.  Long waits in the emergency room may leave low-income patients grumpy and less likely to respond favorably to surveys.  The article focuses on the experience of Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, GA as it seeks to adapt to those incentives.  Sometimes surprising discoveries and relationships were uncovered.  For example, when ESPN was added to the television offerings to increase satisfaction, it was also discovered that pain medication requests declined during afternoon football games.