Case-mix adjustment of patient-reported experience measures in National Regional Center for Pediatric

Background The aim of the study was to identify case-mix adjusters for the Chinese version of the Child Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (Child-HCAHPS) and assess the impact of case-mix adjustment on patient experience measures in China. Methods This study analyzed data collected from six National Regional Center for Pediatric across China retrospectively. Participants were children aged ≤17 years and their guardians who completed the survey. The Chinese Child-HCAHPS was used to measure pediatric inpatient care experience. Candidate case-mix adjusters were assessed using a summary measure of explanatory power. Changes in scores and rankings of the six centers were quantified to assess the impact of adjustment. Results A total of 2708 respondents completed the survey from January to March 2021, with a response rate of 7–15%. The child’s global health status and the respondent being the child’s mother were identified as case-mix adjusters, and case-mix adjustment models for 18 patient experience items were constructed. Kendall’s τ correlation of hospital rankings before and after adjustment ranged from 0.73 to 1.00. Conclusions Although the impact of case-mix adjustment may appear modest in our sample, it demonstrated the feasibility, necessity, and methodology for further development of case-mix adjustment models in pediatric healthcare facilities in China. Impact Case-mix adjustment models adjust for factors that are unamendable by healthcare providers that may affect patient experience ratings, thereby improving the comparability of institutional-level ratings. Standardized case-mix adjustment protocols for quality measures need to be modified in different settings. This is the first study to identify adjustment variables and the possible impact of case-mix adjustment on pediatric inpatients’ experience measures in a Chinese population. This study provided evidence on the feasibility and necessity for further development of case-mix adjustment models for pediatric healthcare facilities in China.