Recognition for how we serve our patients
Bigfork Valley continues top results
in state patient satisfaction scores.
Hospital Compare began with
a collaboration of national private
and governmental organizations like
Medicare with an ambitious idea: find
a way to allow consumers to compare
hospitals. One section of it reports the
results of surveys given to recently
released hospital patients asking
about their satisfaction with their
hospital stay. Data was collected and
analyzed independently of hospitals
and adjusted for sampling variations.
The first hospital patient
satisfaction surveys were released in
March 2008, covering surveys sent to
patients from October 2006 through
June 2007. Bigfork Valley achieved
instant recognition. The hospital
placed at the top among participating
hospitals in the state in seven of ten
question categories. A national
healthcare magazine reported that
Bigfork Valley tied for seventh in
the country in the percent of patients
who reported that yes, they would
definitely recommend the hospital to
family and friends.
How did we achieve these results?
The question came from a number
of facilities who wanted to improve
their scores. Did Bigfork Valley
have a checklist to follow?
We realized that the type of
questions asked on the survey tracked
well with our values, and that these
values were imbedded in our culture,
not on a checklist. Our patients
responded positively because we had
addressed their needs as patients just
as we would have if they had been our
family, friends or neighbors.
We continued to place top overall in
the state on national quarterly reports
released through 2008. In fall 2008,
we decided to check our performance
on a national basis. The results were
startling. In four of the ten categories,
Bigfork Valley was in the top one
percent of 2,592 hospitals nationwide.
In eight of the ten questions, it was in
the top three percent.
In fact, there were only two
hospitals in the country that had better
scores in the percent of patients who
reported that they “always” received
help as soon as they wanted.
Hospitals may choose annually
whether to release patient satisfaction
scores to the public. Just over 50
hospitals had been part of the first
year’s public release. Hospitals
which had good results but had held
them back could be expected to
make results public the second year,
beginning in March 2009. Would
Bigfork Valley still rank near the top?
When the data from July 2007-June
2008 were released in March, there
were 87 hospitals on the list. Bigfork
Valley still held the top (or was tied
for the top) ranking in five of the ten
question categories, and was second
or third in three additional categories.
No facility held more top rankings.
Patient satisfaction surveys are
known as HCAHPS: Hospital
Consumer Assessment of Healthcare
Providers and Systems. Results can
be found at www.mnhospitalquality.org
or www.hospitalcompare.hhs.
gov.
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