Bigfork Valley has received high national rankings for hospital patient satisfaction in physician-patient communication and cleanliness of hospital room and bathroom.

Patients awarded Bigfork Valley a combined score of 98 percent for physicians always communicating well with patients, placing it tied for second in the nation in the Becker’s Hospital Review listing.  The average national score was 82 percent.  Survey questions cover whether doctors listened carefully to the patient and explained things in an understandable way, and whether the patient was treated with courtesy and respect.

Bigfork Valley also earned a 93 percent score from its patients placing it sixth in the country for cleanliness of room and bathroom.  The score tied with two other hospitals in Kentucky and Maine.  Average score across the nation was 74 percent.

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 lists were published by Becker’s Hospital Review.

Other analyses by Becker’s Hospital Review have resulted in two first place national rankings for Bigfork Valley, for overall patient experience rating and discharge communication practices.

“Our staff has worked very hard to provide an exceptional experience for our hospital patients,” said Aaron Saude, CEO.  “We’re very humbled and pleased that their efforts have been recognized with such high marks.”

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.