Evaluation of Quality Outcomes and HCAHPS Scores between Academic and Non-Academic Hospitals

Abstract

Academic hospitals make great contributions to healthcare through patient care, research, and teaching, but their patient satisfaction, clinical outcomes, and hospital acquired injury scores may not surpass non-academic hospitals. Because scores in these areas are what constitutes rewards or penalties in the new Hospital Value Based Purchasing program, it is beneficial to analyze these measures for academic hospitals. This analysis compared patient satisfaction scores, 30-day readmission rate, 30-day mortality rate, and hospital acquired injury scores between academic and non-academic hospitals. The individual characteristics (bed size, region, etc.) of each hospital were also compared. The data was retrieved from the Hospital Compare database, the Medicare Impact File, and the Association of American Medical Colleges. Academic hospitals were more likely to be larger, have a higher Disproportionate Share Hospital Patient Percentage and be in an urban location. They performed worse than non- academic hospitals in several individual Hospital Consumer Assessments of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) scores, but academic hospitals performed better in a patient’s willingness to recommend the hospital and their total rating given by patients. Academic hospitals had lower mortality rates but higher 30-day readmission rates, catheter associated urinary tract infection, and pressure sore rates. Overall, academic hospital’s performance in HCAHPS scores, mortality, readmissions, and hospital acquired injuries do not seem to represent their accomplishments in training physicians and research. This may be because of their higher likelihood to care for poor patients and also their resources being spread over patient care, research, and education.