The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Survey (HCAHPS) is a standardized survey instrument used by many hospitals for the purpose of measuring patient's perspectives regarding care received during their hospitalization. The survey provides national benchmark information enabling consumers to make comparisons of hospitals nationwide. The information is also useful for hospitals to improve quality of care. Despite these benefits, mailed surveys at one Southern California hospital were found to have a low rate of return and item completion felt to be due to the low literacy level of the population Therefore a feasibility study was conducted with the following purposes: (a) to describe the rate of return and number of completed HCAHPS survey items from adults with low literacy who received the survey by mail and by phone dissemination following hospital discharge; and (b) to compare differences in the rate of the HCAHPS survey returns and number of completed items between the two groups. An experimental design was used to conduct this descriptive/comparative study and Flaskerud and Winslow's Vulnerable Population Conceptual Model was the framework to guide the study. Two hundred and eighty-six adult patients with low literacy (defined for the purpose of this study as patients with less than high school education) volunteered to participate in the study from the one selected Southern California hospital. Findings of the study revealed a 7.4 times (95% confidence intervals [CI], 3.92, 14.01) more likelihood of survey returns among the phoned group compared those who received the survey by mail. Individuals who were phoned the survey were also more likely to complete all items compared to those who were mailed the survey (Odds Ratio, 33.5; 95% CI 3.3, 128.9). Assessing the health literacy of patients is important to ensure that the HCAHPS is understood and the survey returned and items completed. Telephone dissemination should be considered for vulnerable patients with low literacy levels. Nurses prepared with the Doctoral of Nursing Practice Degree may play a significant role in assisting hospitals to assess health literacy of patients and to improve patient satisfaction survey return rates that may improve overall health outcomes. The following are appended: (1) Instrument/Survey Used in Study; (2) IRB Approvals; (3) Informed Consent; (4) Demographic Instrument; and (5) Copyright.