Where do patients get their information? HCAHPS surveys provide the patient satisfaction data that affects Medicare reimbursement. The surveys are given to a random sample of adult inpatients nationwide and cover topics such as communication with doctors and nurses, responsiveness of hospital staff, pain management, cleanliness and quietness, discharge information, and transition of care. Survey results are posted on Hospital Compare to help patients make informed decisions when choosing a hospital. Yet studies show that many patients give as much or more weight to informal sources such as social media and word-of-mouth recommendations. In their 2010 report, “Consumers’ use of HCAHPS ratings and wordof-mouth in hospital choice,”2 Clarkson University Business School professors John W. Huppertz, PhD and Jay P. Carlson, PhD note that “Even when quality ratings factor into consumers’ hospital choice decisions, people will ask acquaintances for advice …” And, in a 2012 survey of more than 1,000 consumers, 41 percent said social media would affect their choice of a specific doctor, hospital, or medical facility.3
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