Consumers' use of HCAHPS ratings and word-of-mouth in hospital choice.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the impact of the HCAHPS report of patient experiences and word-of-mouth narratives on consumers' hospital choice.


METHODS
Online consumer research panel of U.S. adults ages 18 and older.


METHODS
In an experiment, 309 consumers were randomly assigned to see positive or negative information about a hospital in two modalities: HCAHPS graphs and a relative's narrative e-mail. Then they indicated their intentions to choose the hospital for elective surgery.


RESULTS
A simple, one-paragraph e-mail and 10 HCAHPS graphs had similar impacts on consumers' hospital choice. When information was inconsistent between the HCAHPS data and e-mail narrative, one modality attenuated the other's effect on hospital choice.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings illustrate the power of anecdotal narratives, suggesting that policy makers should consider how HCAHPS data can be affected by word-of-mouth communication.
Huppertz
John W
JW
Union Graduate College, 80 Nott Terrace, Schenectady, NY 12308, USA. huppertj@uniongraduatecollege.edu
Carlson
Jay P
JP
D002755:Choice Behavior; D005260:Female; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D017060:Patient Satisfaction