It is important to us that your experience is exceptional, not only in the hospital, but at any Penn Medicine outpatient facility. We aim to deliver the highest quality of care at each one of our outpatient surgery locations to ensure the care you get is comprehensive and convenient.
We rely on data from the Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgery Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (OAS CAHPS) survey to assess the care we provide so that we can keep improving the patient experience outside of the hospital. See how Penn Medicine performs on the OAS CAHPS survey.
The information provided below is intended to help you understand what OAS CAHPS data is about, why it matters to you, and how it shapes the care you receive before, during and after an outpatient procedure.
Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgery Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (OAS CAHPS)
OAS CAHPS is a national, publicly reported survey that measures the experiences of care for patients who have visited a Medicare-certified hospital outpatient department or ambulatory surgery center for a surgery or procedure. OAS CAHPS collects feedback from patients and reports on the data four times each year.
The OAS CAHPS survey measures the following types of patient experiences:
- communication and care provided by health care providers and staff
- preparation for an outpatient surgery or procedure
- preparations for discharge and recovery
Patient responses are submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which reports the results each year from all U.S. hospitals at Care Compare.
Why is the OAS CAHPS survey important?
The OAS CAHPS survey gives patients information about care received in places that provide outpatient procedures and surgeries. The data can be used to compare care received from other local and national health care providers.
Information collected from these surveys helps healthcare providers better understand how patients feel about their experiences and identify areas where they can improve.
OAS CAHPS example questions
The OAS CAHPS survey includes 34 questions that are sent to a random sampling of adult patients who have had surgery or a procedure at an outpatient location.
The survey includes questions about the surgery or procedure, check-in processes, cleanliness, communication with the care team and staff, discharge from the facility, and preparation for recovery at home. The survey also includes questions related to communication of potential side-effects during recovery.
Example questions include:
- Before your procedure, did your doctor or anyone from the facility give you all the information you needed about your procedure?
- Did the check-in process run smoothly?
- Did the doctors and nurses treat you with courtesy and respect?
- At any time after leaving the facility, did you have any signs of infection?
- Was the facility clean?
- Would you recommend this facility to your friends and family?
How Penn Medicine uses OAS CAHPS data
Penn Medicine uses OAS CAHPS data in the following ways to improve patient care and satisfaction:
Quality assessment
OAS CAHPS data provides valuable insights into the quality of care and services provided at Penn Medicine. By analyzing the survey results, we can identify areas where we excel and areas that we can improve.
Patient-centered care
The data helps us understand the patient's perspective and experience. This patient-centered approach allows us to tailor services to better meet the needs and preferences of our patients.
Performance benchmarking
We use our OAS CAHPS scores to compare our outpatient surgery locations against national benchmarks. We can see how we perform related to other health care providers on the same patient experience factors.
Quality improvement
OAS CAHPS data helps us identify areas where we can improve, including in places where we may need additional training or support. For example, if communication scores are lower than we would like, we would create additional training for staff to enhance communication with patients.
Transparency
Sharing OAS CAHPS scores and other information that is related to patient safety, quality and care, demonstrates our commitment to transparency. It helps patients make informed decisions about their healthcare and promotes accountability for our health system.
How does Penn Medicine perform?
OAS CAHPS information for Penn Medicine is reported at the health system level. Use the charts below to view how Penn Medicine compares with the national average over the past three years.
OAS CAHPS information for Penn Medicine is reported at the health system level. Use the charts below to view how Penn Medicine compares to the average score from the Press Ganey database over the past three years.
Penn Medicine
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Penn Presbyterian Medical Center
Pennsylvania Hospital
Chester County Hospital
Lancaster General Hospital
Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center
Penn Medicine
Percent of respondents answering "Yes, definitely" to whether clerks were helpful 
Percent of respondents answering "Yes, definitely" to whether clerks were respectful
Percent of respondents answering "Yes, definitely" to whether doctors and nurses were respectful
Percent of respondents answering "Yes, definitely" to whether doctors and nurses made them comfortable