HCAHPS Communication About Medicines

Identifying Attributes

Care Settings
Care Transitions
Country
United States of America
Publishing Organisation
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS): Care Transitions Project
Type of Quality Indicator
Outcome
IOM Quality Dimension
Person-Centredness
Domain
Medication-Related

Defining Attributes

Definition

Average positive responses for the Communication about Medicines questions: Question 16: Before giving you any new medicine, how often did the hospital staff tell you what the medicine was for? Question 17: Before giving you any new medicine, how often did the hospital staff describe possible side effects in a way you could understand?

Numerator

The count of question responses for which Question 16 is 'Always' or 'Usually,' plus the count of question responses for which Question 17 is 'Always' or 'Usually.'

Denominator

The count of all question responses for which both Questions 16 and 17 were answered, excluding individuals less than 65 years of age. This composite contained at most two questions.

Exclusions
Use of Risk Adjustment
No
Risk Adjustments
Stratifications

Collection and Reporting Attributes

Type of Data Collection
Surveys
Data Collection Methods

HCAHPS survey

Frequency of Data Collection
Frequency of Data Collection in Days
Reporting Methods
Reporting Frequency
Reporting Frequency in Days
Indicator Has Recommended Targets
No

Source and Reference Attributes

Evidence Source

Brock J, Mitchell J, Irby K, Stevens B, Archibald T, Goroski A, Lynn J; Care Transitions Project Team. Association between quality improvement for care transitions in communities and rehospitalizations among Medicare beneficiaries. JAMA. 2013 Jan 23;309(4):381-91. doi: 10.1001/jama.2012.216607. PMID: 23340640. Crespin DJ, Whaley C. The effect of hospital discharge price increases on publicly reported measures of quality. Health Serv Res. 2023 Feb;58(1):91-100. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.14040. Epub 2022 Aug 9. PMID: 35872595; PMCID: PMC9836939.

Link to Measurement Tools
Quality Indicator Confirmed to be Part of a Program Used to Monitor Quality and Safety of Care Among Older People at a Population-Level between 2012-2022
No
Assessed by the Australian Consortium for Aged Care Collaborators as Generally Containing Good Properties (Importance and Scientific Acceptability)
No
Australian Consortium for Aged Care Endorsed
No
Identified by PHARMA-Care Project
No
Upload Date
02 December 2025