Solid HCAHPS Scores Only a Start

But that doesn't mean hospital leadership is free of the pressure to do even better in HCAHPS, Allen-Fedor says.

There are two nearby hospitals, and Metro's new facility won't stay new forever, Allen-Fedor notes.

"You can never rest," she adds. "Everyone around us is getting better and maybe working harder than we are. Still, we are focused all the time. We know patients can go anywhere they want and we appreciate them coming to us, and we tell them that."

"After you leave a flight with an airline like Delta, they say, 'Thank you for choosing Delta.' It's the same thing with healthcare; it's very competitive, and thanking people for choosing Metro is an important part of what we do," Allen-Fedor adds.

The hospital relies on specific teams that oversee specific aspects of patient satisfaction areas covered by HCAHPS. Each team has a champion who coordinates its efforts, Allen-Fedor adds.