Hung Man, Vu Sharon, Hon Eric S, Reese Logan, Gardner Jacob, Lipsky Martin S
College of Dental Medicine, Roseman University of Health Sciences, South Jordan, Utah, United States of America.
The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2025 Jun 11;20(6):e0324737. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0324737. eCollection 2025.
Patient satisfaction in the UnitedStates (U.S.) healthcare varies regionally due to cultural, socioeconomic, and infrastructure differences. The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey measures patient satisfaction across several aspects, including staff responsiveness and hospital environment. This survey influences Medicare reimbursements and helps ensure equitable, high-quality care nationwide. Analyzing these results is crucial for enhancing patient-centered care and understanding regional disparities.
This study analyzed HCAHPS data from 3,286 U.S. hospitals from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022. Hospitals were stratified by region. The categories analyzed included cleanliness, communication, staff responsiveness, medication information, discharge processes, care transition, overall rating, quietness, and hospital recommendations. Kruskal Wallis tests and heat maps were used to compare and visualize regional differences.
The analysis revealed significant regional differences in hospital performance across the U.S. (p < 0.05). The Midwest consistently scored the highest in hospital performance metrics, while the "Other" region reported the lowest scores with discharge information, 12.91 percentage points (pp) lower than the Midwest. The communication about medicines indicator scored the lowest across all regions, with the Midwest the best at 76.88, 1.67 pp higher than the West and 9.94 pp higher than the "Other" region. State-level heatmaps highlighted disparities, with New York and South Carolina performing poorly, while South Dakota earned 5-star ratings for overall hospital ratings.
U.S. healthcare service ratings demonstrate regional disparities, with the Midwest scoring highest overall. The study identified specific areas needing improvement in lower-performing states, contrasting with strong performances in others. These findings can guide policymakers in enhancing national healthcare quality by addressing regional challenges and learning from high-performing states. Understanding these disparities is crucial for improving patient-centered care, reducing quality gaps, and ensuring equitable access to high-quality healthcare across the U.S.
由于文化、社会经济和基础设施的差异，美国医疗保健领域的患者满意度存在地区差异。医院消费者医疗服务提供者及系统评估（HCAHPS）调查从多个方面衡量患者满意度，包括工作人员的响应速度和医院环境。这项调查会影响医疗保险报销，并有助于确保全国范围内公平、高质量的医疗服务。分析这些结果对于加强以患者为中心的医疗服务和了解地区差异至关重要。
本研究分析了2021年7月1日至2022年6月30日期间来自3286家美国医院的HCAHPS数据。医院按地区分层。分析的类别包括清洁程度、沟通情况、工作人员响应速度、用药信息、出院流程、护理过渡、总体评分、安静程度和医院推荐。使用Kruskal Wallis检验和热图来比较和直观呈现地区差异。
分析显示美国各地医院的表现存在显著地区差异（p < 0.05）。中西部地区在医院表现指标方面始终得分最高，而“其他”地区在出院信息方面得分最低，比中西部地区低12.91个百分点（pp）。药品沟通指标在所有地区得分最低，中西部地区最好，为76.88，比西部地区高1.67个百分点，比“其他”地区高9.94个百分点。州级热图突出了差异，纽约州和南卡罗来纳州表现不佳，而南达科他州在医院总体评分中获得了五星级评级。
美国医疗服务评级显示出地区差异，中西部地区总体得分最高。该研究确定了表现较差的州需要改进的具体领域，与其他表现出色的州形成对比。这些发现可以指导政策制定者通过应对地区挑战和借鉴表现出色的州的经验来提高全国医疗质量。了解这些差异对于改善以患者为中心的医疗服务、缩小质量差距以及确保美国各地公平获得高质量医疗保健至关重要。
