Patient satisfaction with the nation's hospitals increased in 2006, according to a survey released April 24 by Press Ganey Associates, a healthcare quality measurement organization based in South Bend, IN.
Hospitals' average ratings among patients were 84.2 (out of 100), which rose from 83.0 in 2001, according to the surveyors. However, according to Press Ganey, patients continue to complain about:
room conditions
food quality
the discharge process
More than half of patients' comments about room conditions were negative, while more than a third of comments about meals and discharge from hospitals were negative.
The report examined the experiences of 2.3 million patients treated at more than 1,700 U.S. acute-care hospitals.
