Medicare's emphasis on patient satisfaction scores is harming hospitals that disproportionately care for low income populations, according to Forbes.
Here are five points:
1. A recent survey found safety net hospitals have lower patient satisfaction scores than other hospitals and therefore lose money.
2. Although safety net hospitals provide similar quality of care, they lose money because of other objective measures such as mortality rates.
3. Safety net hospitals are often located in poorer neighborhoods and do not have the financial means to provide the same amenities as other hospitals.
4. Safety net hospitals encounter more stressed patients than the average hospital population, leading to low patient satisfaction scores.
5. Those opposed to the value-based payment system claim the healthcare system needs to better account for the demographics of the patients of each hospital.
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