Methodology

The Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award is based on an analysis of data from CMS' Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) patient survey. The HCAHPS survey asks respondents to rate several different areas of hospital care based on how frequently key behaviors occurred.

The survey includes 19 questions related to hospital care, which Healthgrades publicly reports as 10 patient experience measures on its hospital quality profiles:

1. Overall rating
2. Recommendation to family/friends
3. Communication with doctors
4. Communication with nurses
5. Responsiveness of hospital staff
6. Communication about medicines
7. Cleanliness
8. Quietness
9. Discharge information
10. Care transition

To be eligible for the patient experience award, hospitals must be in the top 80% of hospitals for clinical quality based on Healthgrades' evaluation of Medicare data and have data from at least 100 HCAHPS surveys.

Overall, Healthgrades evaluated 3,020 hospitals that submitted at least 100 HCAHPS surveys, which covered admissions between January 2024 and December 2024. Hospitals in the bottom 20% for overall clinical quality were excluded from consideration.

According to Healthgrades, three aspects of patient experience that best predicted whether a patient would recommend a hospital were doctor communication, nurse communication, and clear communication about care when discharged.

"I'm an internist by training, so I've done both inpatient and outpatient medicine, and I will say the communication piece is just crucial," said Alana Biggers, a medical advisor with Healthgrades. "Building that rapport with patients, building that trust that you have with patients, that's one benefit. The other part of it is just really the ability to reduce medical errors."

"Better patient experiences are correlated with better health outcomes, which is why patients should always consider patient experience during the care search," Biggers said. "Healthgrades' Outstanding Patient Experience Award recognizes hospitals that prioritize high-quality, patient-centered care and ensure that patients feel heard, empowered, and confident throughout the care journey."