|
|||||||||||||
Printer-Friendly
Email this Story
Post a Comment (0)
Top ratings for Winchester Medical Center
Winchester Medical Center recently received the highest statewide score in a national study which accessed patient perceptions of their hospital experience.After their hospital discharge, Medicare inpatients were asked to give an overall rating of the hospital using a scale from zero to 10. Winchester Medical Center’s composite score was 74, the highest in Virginia.
“To lead the state in this first survey is a true source of pride,” said Michael Halseth, president and CEO of Valley Health. “Everyone on the Winchester Medical Center campus plays a part in how we are perceived by patients, and deserves credit.”
The survey also asked patients if they would recommend the hospital to family and friends. Eighty-one percent of patients surveyed by Winchester Medical Center said they would recommend the facility. This ranked WMC second in the state.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the results as part of its first national assessment of patient perceptions of their hospital experiences. Fifty-four facilities in Virginia and nearly 2,500 other hospitals across the country were included in the study.
Reese Jackson, president of Winchester Medical Center, praised staff for their patient focus, and noted that WMC also outscored such nationally-recognized facilities as Johns Hopkins and the Cleveland Clinic.
“This is an important new measurement tool introduced by CMS,” Jackson said. “Based on patient feedback, we felt we would land on the positive end of the spectrum, but until the list was released we couldn’t be certain how we would measure up.”
Jackson added, “This is a tribute to staff at all levels who work to make patient experiences exceptional every day. This is a notable achievement, but we have room to improve and a desire to remain the leader.”
Winchester Medical Center, a 411-bed acute-care hospital, is the largest component of Valley Health. WMC is a Level II trauma center, operates a major heart and vascular surgery program, and is a designated stroke center.
According to CMS, the HCAHPS survey is part of a public health effort to strengthen consumer choice and create incentives to motivate providers to provide better care. CMS plans to tie hospital reimbursements to patient satisfaction. Low scores will trigger reduced Medicare payments to hospitals as soon as 2009.
The data is available at www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov and reflects surveys completed between October 2006 and June 2007.
You must be logged in to post a comment.