News Information

SCHNECK RANKS NO. 1 IN PATIENT SATISFACTION WITH PHYSICIANS
June 17, 2010

Schneck Medical Center has been ranked No. 1 in patient satisfaction with physicians among members of VHA Central, the regional arm of VHA Inc., the national healthcare alliance. According to the recently-released, publicly-reported HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) survey, when Schneck patients were asked to rate the courtesy of physicians during their hospital stay on a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 is the worst and 10 is the best, 93 percent responded with a nine or 10, which is over 7 percent higher than the regional average of 85.8 percent.

“We are thrilled with this recent data from HCAHPS,” said Gary A. Meyer, President/CEO of Schneck. “These results validate that our physicians are living the Schneck vision—To be an organization of excellence, every person, every time. We believe every person who walks into Schneck should be treated with respect and compassion by some of the world’s best doctors and medical professionals using the latest medical technology.”

HCAHPS is a standardized survey that reflects a patient’s perspective of hospital care, and data is posted quarterly on the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare website, at www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov. The recently-released local HCAHPS results are from January to December 2009, and show data for hospitals across the country.

The HCAHPS survey was created with three primary goals. First, it was designed to produce data about patients’ perspectives of care that allows comparisons of hospitals on topics important to consumers. Second, public reporting of the survey results creates new incentives for hospitals to improve quality of care. Third, public reporting serves to enhance public accountability in healthcare by increasing transparency of the quality of hospital care provided in return for the public investment.

The survey asks a random sample of patients from over 3,700 U.S. hospitals 27 questions about their hospital experience, including 18 items about key aspects of the hospital experience including communication with nurses and doctors, the responsiveness of hospital staff, cleanliness and quietness of hospital environment, pain management, communication about medicines, discharge information, overall rating of hospital and recommendation of hospital.

“We know that patients have many choices for healthcare. At Schneck, our employees are committed to delivering best-in-class care,” said Meyer. “While this is only one snapshot of patient ratings, we consistently work to improve our quality of care and are proud of how Schneck compares to others.”