Patient Satisfaction Surveys
Each year, the Defense Health Agency (DHA) conducts Military Health System (MHS) Patient Satisfaction Surveys to collect data to assess patient satisfaction with experiences at military and civilian health care facilities.
Please note: These surveys are separate from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) patient experience surveys, which ask about experiences with health care providers and plans and are not specific to TRICARE.
MHS Patient Satisfaction Surveys
(Not a complete list; please see: Current Active Surveys)
HCSDB
The Health Care Survey of Department of Defense (DOD) Beneficiaries (HCSDB) is offered annually to a sample of eligible TRICARE beneficiaries and is designed to collect information related to TRICARE benefits. It assesses beneficiary opinions about:
- Their health
- Preventive care services
- Access to health care
- Benefit coverage
- Customer service satisfaction
JOES-C
The Joint Outpatient Experience Survey Consumer Assessment of Health Providers and Systems (JOES-C) focuses on the beneficiary experience in military and civilian provider offices.
TSS-P
The TRICARE Select Survey-Provider (TSS-P) collects data on the number of providers who accept TRICARE patients, new patients (of any insurer), and new Medicare patients.
TRISS
The TRICARE Inpatient Satisfaction Survey (TRISS) measures beneficiary user satisfaction with inpatient experiences at military and network civilian facilities. The TRISS is sent worldwide to a sample of eligible TRICARE beneficiaries who received medical, surgical and obstetrics inpatient services at direct care (military) and civilian network. The TRISS includes HCAHPS questions (see below) plus Department of Defense specific questions.
The TRISS assesses patient satisfaction in the following categories:
- Overall hospital rating
- Communication with nurses
- Communication with doctors
- Responsiveness of hospital staff
- Discharge information
- Care transition
Improving Scores
How can you improve scores?
Consider the following tips:
- Treat patients with courtesy and respect.
- Listen.
- Clearly explain care plans, including medication instructions.
- Modify procedures to improve staff response time.
- Keep the facility clean and quiet.
- Discuss post-hospitalization help.
Resources
What, if any, interventions have been implemented to improve your scores? These websites offer useful information:
