The Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) Surveys are used in inpatient facilities to assess patient experience

The Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) Surveys are used in inpatient facilities to assess patient experience and by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) for calculating payment under value-based purchasing. Another survey, the Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgery CAHPS (OAS CAHPS), assesses the patient experience in the outpatient setting, which may be used in the future by CMS in a value-based purchasing program.

David Marshall, the CEO Godfrey Community Hospital asked the new Nurse Navigator, his niece Cindy Barrett, to investigate into why the OAS CAHPS scores were so low at Orthopedic and Spine Institute (OSI). Barrett is a recent graduate of a Bachelor of Nursing program, and she is unaware that her Uncle Dave plans to use her to spy on the OSI managers.