Answer provided by:
Dr. Randy Carden
Director of Research Service, HealthStream Research

Webster’s New World Dictionary defines “benchmark” as a standard or point of reference in measuring or judging quality. 

HealthStream Research’s Physician Insights survey and Employee Insights survey measure multiple dimensions related to satisfaction with the hospital.  Two of our key items are the “Overall Satisfaction” item and the “Would Recommend” item.  By design, we use the Overall Satisfaction item as our primary benchmark.  We feel that Overall Satisfaction is the single best item when comparing across hospitals and against a single reference point. 

The overall satisfaction question has the employee or physician rate his/her experience with the hospital.  This question is less influenced by outside factors and is more of a summative perception of their experience inside the hospital. 

On the other hand, the Would Recommend item may be more influenced by factors outside of the hospital.  For example, this question is related to community reputation, the number of other hospitals in the region, advertising, etc…

Therefore, when comparing hospitals against hospitals or hospitals against a corporate or national benchmark, it is best to use a standard that is not influenced by factors outside of the hospital.  This logic tends to rule out the use of the Would Recommend item and supports the use of something more standardized such as the Overall Satisfaction item. 

Do you have a question you’d like to send to our team of experts?  Send an email to researchinfo@healthstream.com, and our interdisciplinary team of experts will provide you with a detailed answer.  Specify if you wish to remain anonymous.