Strategies for Improving Inpatient Satisfaction

The Veterans Health Administration is the branch of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that delivers healthcare to veterans and their families. The Capstone team worked with VA New York Harbor Healthcare System (NYHHS) to assess how the organ­ization could improve its overall inpatient satisfaction scores on national Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) surveys. The team examined the following areas of interest: involvement in medical decision­making, staff responsiveness to patient needs, and patient perception of care received. The Capstone team conducted site visits and patient interviews, analyzed HCAHPS scores, reviewed best practices, and produced a literature review in order to evaluate veterans' experiences at VA NYHHS facilities and identify key variables impacting patients' perceptions of the care they receive. The team provided NYHHS with a set of evidence­based, feasible, and sustainable recommendations for improv­ing inpatient satisfaction.