The National Survey of Healthcare Organizations and Systems (NSHOS) is being sent to health care leaders working in systems, hospitals and practices throughout the United States. With over 7,000 surveys being sent out, the NSHOS aims to gain a better understanding of how health care organizations adopt and spread evidence-based innovations.
The Dartmouth Institute is leading the research, with collaborating partners the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health; the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; and the High Value Healthcare Collaborative (HVHC). The NSHOS will help researchers understand which types of organizations and interventions have the greatest impact on patient outcomes.
The survey is funded by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The survey is also supported by the AMA, American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Physicians, American Hospital Association, American Medical Group Association and Medical Group Management Association.
While the NSHOS is a new survey, results from previous surveys conducted by members of the research team have been published in high-impact journals, such as Health Affairs, JAMA and the The New England Journal of Medicine. These surveys include the National Survey of Accountable Care Organizations and the National Survey of Physician Organizations.
Participation is easy
Health care leaders in systems, hospitals and practices of all sizes are being asked to participate in the NSHOS by completing a 30-minute paper survey. The system and hospital surveys were mailed at the end of June, and the practice surveys were mailed in early July. Those who will be receiving surveys should find them on their desks within the next couple of weeks.
Participants will receive a $50 check or $25 cash in acknowledgment of their time and insights. Organizations will also receive an annual bibliography, free access to journal articles produced by the project and a summary report that can be used as a tool to help guide their organization’s future priorities.
The survey covers:
- Background information about the health care system, hospital or practice.
- Their organization’s culture.
- Payment and delivery-reform initiatives.
- Financial planning, leadership and standardization.
- Health information systems.
- Screening and referral activity.
- Care of complex, high-need patients.
- Adoption of innovation.
- Patient-reported measures.
- Behavioral health care.
- Performance and care-delivery reporting.
- Evidence acquisition.
- Competition and expansion.
Results from this survey will help to increase understanding of the national health care landscape and “how changes in health care are influencing the quality and cost of care,” according to the survey. The success of the survey depends upon the participation of health care organizations across the country.
All data received from this survey will be kept in “strict confidence,” and no site will be identified in any public reports or publications, as stated in the survey cover letter. For more information on this survey, contact Marisha Palm from the Dartmouth Institute.
