Customer satisfaction ratings raise stakes for hospitals

Measuring and improving patient satisfaction has become a bigger priority at many hospitals, especially since Medicare started posting the responses of discharged patients online after hospitals survey their customers on whether they would recommend the facility. Among Nashville-area hospitals, surveys through year-end 2007 showed that 84% and 82%, respectively, of the patients discharged from Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Saint Thomas Hospital would definitely recommend those hospitals. The reputation of a hospital could affect its market share, its ability to recruit doctors, and how much money it gets in reimbursements from the government.