Feature May 4, 2022 John Bernot, MD

5 ways to improve patient satisfaction scores to prepare for OAS CAHPS reimbursements

Here are five ways outpatient departments and ASCs can improve patient satisfaction for OAS CAHPS to prepare for new reimbursement opportunities.

Whether you like it or not, patient satisfaction surveys aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

As healthcare reimbursements and penalties are increasingly tied to patient satisfaction performance scores, stakeholders across the care continuum have started to take a closer look at the holistic patient experience.¹

The Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgery Survey (OAS CAHPS) measures the patient experience of care associated with surgical and non-surgical procedures performed in outpatient hospital settings and ASCs.² 

The OAS CAHPS measures patient experience related to three core areas: 

1. Communication and care provided by doctors, nurses, and other facility staff
2. Preparation before the surgery or procedure
3. Preparation for recovery and discharge after the surgery or procedure

For the time being, participation in OAS CAHPS is voluntary.³  However, it will become mandatory for hospital-based outpatient departments (HOPDs) starting in the CY2024 reporting period and mandatory for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) beginning in the CY2025 reporting period.⁴ 

Time is of the essence. Ensure your outpatient department or ASC has a strategy in place to improve patient satisfaction so that your organization can maximize reimbursements starting on day one. 

5 ways to improve OAS CAHPS performance scores

1. Improve patient-provider communication. Breakdowns and misunderstandings in patient-provider communication are among the top reasons for patient dissatisfaction.⁵ Enabling bi-directional communication is one way your organization can improve communication between patients and their care team. 
2. Meet the communication needs of an increasingly digitally-savvy patient population. Your patients, even baby boomers, have come to expect and demand the same personalized digital experiences and level of service they receive from other industries. Despite healthcare consumerism being an industry buzz for years, fewer than 1 in 10 organizations excel in this area, leaving patients frustrated.⁶ 
3. Send patient educational resources for all literacy levels before a surgery or procedure. Not all patients have the health literacy level to understand the care plans provided. Providing them with how-to videos and visuals that show them what to do instead of having to read and interpret them can help increase pre-op task adherence and the preparation before their surgery or procedure. 
4. Manage patient recovery expectations. It’s critical patients understand what to expect after their surgery or procedure. Patients often report high dissatisfaction levels due to unmet expectations—even when their recovery aligns with their provider or surgeon’s expectations.⁷
5. Deliver the right information at the right time. Stop overwhelming patients with too much information. Letting patients know what to do and when with a simple text alert can help them self-manage their care better and improve the overall healthcare experience.

Make Ayva part of your patient satisfaction improvement strategy

Ayva is a dynamic patient engagement platform that can help your hospital department or ASC improve the patient experience metrics measured by OAS CAHPS. 

With revenue margins tighter than ever, your organization cannot afford to leave money on the table. When the reimbursement updates tied to OAS CAHPS performance scores go into effect in 2024, make sure your organization is ready to maximize the opportunity—your revenue cycle will thank you. 

Clinical acumen is built into Ayva, making it easy for patients to use and for care teams to implement, which results in an improved patient experience for every care journey. 

Learn how Ayva can transform communication and the patient experience for your organization.

Meet Ayva today!