OBJECTIVES: The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey captures patient satisfaction across 8 dimensions. CMS compares a facility’s most positive rating in each dimension (“top-box”) against three scores calculated from the national sample during a baseline period. Pain management is the only HCAHPS dimension directly related to a patient’s medical condition while concurrently influencing overall patient experience and satisfaction. This study utilizes CMS data and HCAPHS survey results to evaluate current HCAHPS pain measures across facilities, and the potential benefit to overall HCAHPS scores by improving pain management in an inpatient setting. METHODS: Baseline scores (low, middle, and high) from FY2013 through FY2016 were collected and evaluated for trends and impact on performance scores. A set of hospitals was selected based on participation in CMS data collection and HCAHPS survey administration. The average hospital domain scores were tabulated for all 8 dimensions for FY2013 and FY2014. A direct comparison was made between the changes in pain management dimension and all other dimensions. RESULTS:  Between FY2013 and FY2014 the pain management middle and high baseline scores will increase by 0.3% and 0.03% while the other 7 dimensions will increase on average, 1.0% and 0.4% respectively. Mean “top-box “ratings between FY2013-2014 changed by less than 1% across all dimensions. The disparity in baseline scores over the same period led to a change in pain dimension scores by 3%, while the other 7 dimensions saw performance scores change in the range of 2% - >10%. CONCLUSIONS:  This analysis illustrates that changes to the baseline scores may have a significant impact on HCAHPS performance scores. As a result, proportional improvement in pain scores will disproportionately increase overall HCAHPS scores compared with the other 7 dimensions, indicating an increased importance of adequate pain management on overall patient satisfaction and Medicare payment.