article_snippet.sent: In recent years, Boissy added, "hospitals are looking at everything "hospitals do and trying to evaluate whether or not it contributes to enhancing the patient experience.
article_snippet.sent: It's all part of a trend among hospitals to improve the patient reviews and hospitals own bottom lines -- fueled in part by the health law's focus on quality of care and other federal initiatives.
article_snippet.sent: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services increasingly factors patients' satisfaction into The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services quality measures, which are linked to the size of Medicare & Medicaid Services payments hospitals get.
article_snippet.sent: But the efforts can also mean making waiting rooms more comfortable, improving the quality of food served to patients or, as in this case, updating hospital gowns.
article_snippet.sent: Ultimately, this focus leads to "a better patient experience," said John Combes, senior vice president of the American Hospital Association.
article_snippet.sent: Patient expectations are part of the calculus.
article_snippet.sent: But the most common challenge isn't necessarily doctor expectations or costs.
article_snippet.sent: In his company's experience, hospital decisions are often made by committees, not individuals.
highlights_snippet.sent: Patient satisfaction is linked to the size of Medicare payments hospitals get .