Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) was recognized for providing an outstanding patient experience, as determined by Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS), a national, standardized patient survey. More than 3,700 hospitals took part in the survey; however, AAMC was the only hospital in Maryland to receive the  Outstanding Patient Experience Award^TM.

To complete the survey, patients are asked the same 27 questions (which are consolidated into 10 measures) to compare patient experiences at hospitals across the county. Those measures are:

• how well nurses in the hospitals communicate with patients
• how well doctors in the hospitals communicate with patients
• how responsive the hospital staff is to patient needs
• how well the hospital staff helps the patient manage pain
• how well the staff communicates with the patient about medicines
• whether pertinent information was provided when the patient was discharged
• the cleanliness of the patient's room
• the quietness of the patient's room
• the overall rating of the hospital
• whether the patient would recommend the hospital to others