Anesthesia Quality Institute

Patient Experience Survey

The AQI Patient Experience Survey (PES) collects patient-reported outcomes after anesthesia, sends results straight to NACOR, and shares reports for benchmarking against national data.

Delivery
Email, text message, or both with automated reminders
Questions
Core benchmarking set, plus your own questions
Reporting
Analytic results and direct feed directly into NACOR
Quality
Support for MIPS measure AQI48

Survey benefits for your practice

Giving you access to the patient perspective to support your care plan and decision making

National comparison

Core questions are standardized across participants, which makes your results comparable to other NACOR practices rather than to nothing.

Support for Clinical Decisions

Unfiltered insights to bridge gaps and ensure inclusion of the patient perspective on outcomes in support of weighing treatment options and future treatment planning.

CMS MIPS Reporting

Surveys collected through PES feed the reporting for MIPS measure AQI48 without a separate data-collection effort.

Value-Based Quality Improvement

Measure clinical effectiveness and outliers with patient feedback regarding communication, comfort, pain, nausea, and vomiting.

Key features

PES offers practice-level customization and configuration designed to meet the specific needs of any anesthesia group or department.

Standardized and custom questions

Benchmark against national data for ASA core questions and add original questions as needed for internal improvement goals.

Distribution options

Send surveys by email, text message, or both, based on what works best for your patients.

Automated reminders

Recipients who have not responded are reminded automatically, so response rates do not depend on staff follow-up.

Direct integration with NACOR

Survey results are integrated directly with NACOR — without exports, xml formatting, or external software vendor.

Local branding

Present the survey under your own organization's branding so patients recognize communications.

Analytics and benchmarking

Performance analytic reports show your results over time and against national NACOR benchmarks.

How it works

High value. Limited burden.

  1. Configure

    One-time set up to select required/recommended questions, create custom questions as needed, and set delivery method, frequency of reminders, and organizational branding.

  2. Send after discharge

    Patients receive the survey following discharge, within the window required for AQI48 reporting.

  3. Remind

    Non-responders receive automated reminders without organizational staff tracking.

  4. Report and benchmark

    Responses appear in analytic reports as well as applicable results directly in NACOR alongside national comparisons.

Core survey questions

Every participating practice asks the same core questions, which is what makes benchmarking possible. Recommended and custom questions can be added to suit your needs.

Core Questions (Required)

  1. How would you rate your overall anesthesia experience?
  2. How well did your anesthesia team members attend to your overall comfort and wellbeing?
  3. Did you experience pain while in the recovery area?
  4. Did you experience nausea or vomiting while in the recovery area?
  5. Did you experience nausea and vomiting after discharge?

Recommended Question Options

  1. Did your anesthesia team treat you with courtesy and respect?
  2. How satisfied were you with the information you received about your anesthesia prior to surgery?
  3. Did your anesthesia team explain things in a manner that you could understand?
  4. How satisfied were you that your pain was addressed by the anesthesia team in the recovery area?
  5. How would you rate your level of nausea or vomiting experienced while in the recovery area?
  6. How satisfied were you that any nausea and vomiting were addressed by the anesthesia team in the recovery area?

Support for MIPS measure AQI48

AQI48 asks what share of adult patients you surveyed regarding their anesthesia care, and what share of those who responded reported a positive experience.

Both performance rates (a and b) must be reported to be scored on the measure.
Requirement What it means
AQI48a Share of patients aged 18 and older, undergoing a procedure under anesthesia, who were surveyed about their experience and satisfaction with anesthesia care.
AQI48b Share of patients who completed the survey and reported a positive experience with their anesthesia care.
Survey window The survey must be sent after discharge from the facility and within 30 days of that discharge.
Minimum volume At least 20 returned surveys with the mandatory question completed are needed to report AQI48b.

Full specifications, including denominator exclusions, are published in the AQI measure specifications.

Frequently asked questions

How do patients receive the survey?
By email, by text message, or both; your practice sets the preference. Patients who do not respond will receive automated reminders.
Can we add questions of our own?
Yes. Original questions can be added in addition to the core set. The core questions stay as written so that benchmarking across practices remains valid.
Will the survey look like it came from us?
Local organization branding is supported, so patients see your practice rather than an unfamiliar sender.
Do we have to submit the results separately?
No. Survey data integrates directly with NACOR for specific questions and/or appears in your analytic reports.
How many responses do we need for AQI48?
Reporting AQI48b requires at least 20 returned surveys with the mandatory overall-experience question completed. Both AQI48a and AQI48b must be reported to be scored on the measure.
How do I indicate which of my patients requires a survey?
On your preferred cadence, practices will be required to import a patient list via CSV file upload with several required variables to ensure sufficient information for contact and integration to NACOR; template is available within the application.

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