Evaluation of hospital consumer assessment of healthcare providers and systems scores with pharmacist-initiated medication bedside delivery program in a cardiac surgery unit

Abstract

Objective: The primary objective of this study is to determine whether a pharmacist-initiated pilot medication bedside delivery program in the cardiac surgery unit improves the scores of two Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) questions, addressing communication about medication indication and side effects. The secondary objective is to determine patients' preferred way of communication from hospitals post discharge. HCAHPS scores provide a standardized way to compare hospital care based on patient experiences at health care facilities and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will be reporting HCAHPS star ratings beginning in April 2015. Having a pharmacistimplemented program improve these scores would give value and reasoning to expand these services to other units at the hospital. Methods: This study will be submitted to the institutional review board for approval. It will be a pilot case control study. Eligible patients in the cardiac surgery unit who can complete an HCAHPS survey and who opt in to the bedside delivery program will have the ability to speak to a pharmacist when receiving their discharge medications before leaving the hospital. Following discharge, patients from the unit will be called and surveyed to assess their satisfaction with the program or reason for opting out, as well as their preferred method of contact. Results collected from the patients surveyed will be included in the evaluation. Differences in results between patients who opted in and opted out of the delivery service also will be assessed.