Patient Experience Measurement & The Digital Age
December 15, 2020 · NCQA Communications
NCQA’s very own Sarah Hudson Scholle, Paul Cotton and President Peggy O’Kane produced an excellent blog on Health Affairs entitled, “As Value-Based Care and Telehealth Rise, Patient Experience Measurement Desperately Needs an Update For The Digital Age”. Take a look at the excerpt below.
As health care moves into the digital age, patient experience measurement—a cornerstone of today’s value-based health care movement—also must become digital. The results could mean a dramatic leap forward in how, and how well, the voice of the patient is heard.
Twenty-five years ago, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) launched the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) surveys, which established a standardized approach for measuring patient experience of care that was revolutionary. CAHPS surveys are critical components today in a myriad of federal, state and private value-based programs (VBP). The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has incorporated CAHPS into our Health Plan Accreditation, Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) and other nationally leading programs.
CAHPS’ impact is still growing. Next year, Medicare will begin raising the weight of results in its Medicare Advantage Star Ratings program, which is among the most successful VBPs. By 2023, measures of patient experience will count even more than clinical outcome measures in Star Ratings.
In making this change, CMS stressed the importance of putting” patients first” and hearing the voice of patients as a key component in Star Ratings. It’s hard to disagree that listening and responding to patient voices is critical. Yet the vast majority of commentors opposed the change. Why?…
Read more here: https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20201203.232590/full/
