Patient satisfaction surveys fail to track how well hospitals treat people of color

After a hospital stay, many patients are surveyed to weigh in on how good their experience was. Survey results can affect how much hospitals get paid. But instances of racial or other discrimination are not covered in the surveys. (David Sacks/Getty Images)

Each day, thousands of patients get a call or letter after being discharged from U.S. hospitals. How did their stay go? How clean and quiet was the room? How often did nurses and doctors treat them with courtesy and respect?

The questions focus on what might be termed the standard customer satisfaction aspects of a medical stay, as hospitals increasingly view patients as consumers who can take their business elsewhere.