HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) is a national, standardized survey of hospital patients. HCAHPS (pronounced “H-caps”) was created to publicly report the patient’s perspective of hospital care. The survey asks a random sample of recently discharged patients about important aspects of their hospital experience.

The HCAHPS results posted on Hospital Compare allow consumers to make comparisons between hospitals, and to compare individual hospitals to state and national averages/benchmarks.

Patient satisfaction and ratings are indicators of quality healthcare. A higher score may indicate that a hospital provides a higher level of patient care.

About this measure

The question asked for this measure is: “Using any number from 0 to 10, where 0 is the worst hospital possible and 10 is the best hospital possible, what number would you use to rate this hospital during your stay?” The measure reflects the percentage of respondents who answered 9 or 10 to these questions.

Note: In this case, a higher number is better.