Research on Improving Patient Experience

Ongoing Studies

CAHPS researchers are currently investigating the use of CAHPS surveys to assess the impact of changes in care delivery on patient experience with ambulatory care and hospitals' use of CAHPS survey results to improve patient experience.

Read about current research studies:

Impact of Patient-Centered Medical Home Transformation on Patient Experience (PDF, 172 KB)
Use of CAHPS® Patient-Centered Medical Home Items During PCMH Transformation (PDF, 142 KB)
Effect of a Nurse Care Coordination Program on Quality of Care (PDF, 219 KB)
Using Patient Experience Information in Hospitals: A Survey of Hospital Quality Leaders (PDF, 161 KB)

Published Articles, Reports, and Case Studies

In addition to the many studies published in academic journals, members of the CAHPS team have contributed to the following research reports:

Improving Customer Service at Health Share of Oregon (PDF, 279 KB). This case study discusses the strategies implemented by Health Share of Oregon, a coordinated care organization serving Medicaid recipients, to ensure that its customer service staff understand and meet the needs of its members. Health Share of Oregon was selected for this case study because of its high scores on the "Health Plan Customer Service" composite measure in the CAHPS Health Plan Survey as well as its improvement in one of the two survey items.

Providing Performance Feedback to Individual Physicians: Current Practice and Emerging Lessons . In a working paper, RAND researchers document what is known to date about reporting quality data back to physicians. This paper was based on a literature review as well as key informant interviews. Participating researchers included members of the CAHPS RAND Team.

A Tale of Three Practices: How Medical Groups Are Improving the Patient Experience (PDF, 508 KB). This evidence brief by Shaller Consulting for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Aligning Forces for Quality program discusses the benefits of measuring and reporting patient experience data for quality improvement in clinical practice. The focus of the evidence brief is on demonstrable changes that have been achieved through specific improvement interventions in three medical practices.

How Two Provider Groups Are Using the CAHPS® Clinician & Group Survey for Quality Improvement (PDF, 3.45 MB). This issue brief shares the experiences of two provider groups using the 12-Month version of the CAHPS Clinician & Group Survey to improve the delivery of care. It summarizes presentations delivered on an AHRQ-sponsored Webcast on October 8, 2013.

Case Studies of Quality Improvement Initiatives. RAND published two case studies of quality improvement initiatives designed to improve patients’ experiences with care: one for a hospital and the other for a health plan.

Supplemental Items To Support Improvement in Health Plan Quality. In 2005, the RAND Team developed a set of supplemental items for the CAHPS Health Plan Survey designed to help plans develop and monitor quality improvement efforts in several areas of care. This work was done in response to feedback from health plans regarding their need for more actionable items.

CAHPS In-Center Hemodialysis Quality Improvement Project. The grantees and four ESRD Networks worked with a number of dialysis facilities to develop quality improvement initiatives based on CAHPS survey data.

Profiles of High-Performing Family- and Patient-Centered Academic Medical Centers . Dale Shaller (Yale Team) and Charles Darby (former AHRQ project officer for CAHPS) produced six case studies for the Picker Institute that document how academic medical centers can achieve high levels of family- and patient-centered care. Each profile offers real-world, operational examples of how core elements of family- and patient- centered care are brought to life in practice. A separate summary analysis of the key elements contributing to family- and patient-centered care across all six centers is also available.

Patient-Centered Care: What Does It Take? In a paper commissioned by the Picker Institute, Dale Shaller (Yale Team) explored what is needed for widespread implementation of patient-centered care in inpatient and ambulatory care settings. The findings were based on interviews conducted with experts in designing or implementing strategies for achieving excellence in patient-centered care.

Page last reviewed June 2018
Page originally created November 2011

Internet Citation: Research on Improving Patient Experience. Content last reviewed June 2018. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/cahps/quality-improvement/reports-and-case-studies/index.html