Bigfork Valley has received top national rankings for hospital patient satisfaction in discharge information practices and in overall rating of the hospital experience.

The scores were taken from the most recent release of results for the federal hospital patient satisfaction survey (or HCAHPS, Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) sent to patients after a hospital stay.  The list were published by Becker’s Hospital Review.

First in the nation

Becker’s Hospital Review listed Bigfork Valley as tied for first in the nation for overall patient rating with the greatest percentage of patients awarding the hospital a 9 or 10 on a scale of 0-10 where ten is highest.  Bigfork Valley’s score was 97 percent, compared to a national average of 72 percent.  Patients’ Hospital of Redding, Calif. received the same score.

Bigfork Valley was also listed as first in the nation for discharge communication practices with a score of 98 percent, compared to a national average of 87 percent.

“We are extremely pleased to be ranked so highly by our patients for their experience during a hospital stay,” said Aaron Saude, CEO.  “Our hospital vision is to provide the highest quality health care experience to every life we touch, and our excellent staff has truly taken this to heart. “

Survey

The HCAHPS survey, developed to help make the patient experience during a hospital stay transparent to consumers, was started over ten years ago and is managed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.  Sent to patients after discharge from a hospital, independent surveys measure such things as cleanliness, quietness, interaction with doctors and nurses, and more. The results are collected and sent directly to Medicare where the figures are adjusted to compensate for such factors as hospital size.

The latest release covered the year ending in March 2016, with results listed in December.  Only hospitals with over 100 responses for a year were included in the Becker’s Hospital Review lists.  The complete national results are listed on the CMS Hospital Compare website, and rankings are shown on www.beckershospitalreview.com, search on HCAHPS under Lists.

Bigfork Valley is an acute care hospital located in Bigfork, Minn., employing over 200. In addition to general hospital and emergency services, the facility offers a wide range of health care services and senior living options.