Hospital Advertising, Competition, and HCAHPS: Does It Pay to Advertise?

Objective: To test whether hospital advertising expenditures predict HCAHPS global ratings.

Data Sources/study Setting: We examined media advertising expenditures by 2,142 acute care hospitals in 209 markets in the United States. Data on hospital characteristics, location, and revenue came from CMS reports; system ownership was obtained from the American Hospital Association.