As we know, the quality of in-hospital care greatly contributes to our health. Thus, it’s important for us to have confidence in the quality of the hospitals that care for us.
Unfortunately, in 2019 Americans’ views toward hospitals showed a decline.
According to Paige Minemyer, writing for FierceHealthCare:
“Consumer satisfaction with hospitals took a tumble this year (2019) while approval of health insurers improved. The American Consumer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) released its annual report examining the financial and insurance sectors and found that hospitals earned a score of 72 on their indicator, based on a survey of more than 30,000 consumers and reflecting their perceptions of the quality of products they use.”
“That’s a notable drop from hospitals’ 2018 score on the index, which was 76. The decline is driven by a substantial drop in consumers’ rankings for emergency department care, from 73 in 2018 to a 67 for 2019. “
“By contrast, patient satisfaction with outpatient care settings continues to climb — ambulatory care earned a 77 score for the second year in a row. Outpatient care provided by hospitals earned a lower score, a 75, which dropped from a 78 score in 2018.”
“The report flags the wait times in the emergency department as a key factor in declining patient satisfaction with emergency care.”
A new report examines consumer satisfaction with hospitals and health plans. (Studio 642/Getty Images)