A new report is urging hospitals to start gathering a much greater depth of data with the HCAHPS surveys, according to an article on the Hospitals and Health Networks website.

The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems surveys, administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, doesn't take into account a patient's understanding of the bill, the comfort of waiting areas, the timeliness of appointments, and the quality of food, the article said. 

Improving satisfaction can translate to better clinical care, and it's high time that healthcare catches up with other industries in addressing the customer experience, the report said.  

In one recent survey of patients hospitalized in the past three years, most said "outcome achieved" was most important to them. And, yet, surveys after care was delivered showed that nurse empathy toward the patient actually had the greatest impact on satisfaction scores.

Read the article.