Newswise — SEATTLE – (April 8, 2014)– Virginia Mason was today named a recipient of Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award for the second consecutive year. This distinction places it among the top 10 percent of hospitals in the nation for patient experience.
The award recognizes Virginia Mason for outstanding performance in the delivery of positive experiences for patients during their hospital stay, as measured by Healthgrades, an online resource for information about physicians and hospitals. Healthgrades evaluated 3,582 hospitals that submitted patient surveys to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, covering admissions from March 2012 through April 2013. To be eligible for the patient experience award, hospitals had to meet additional clinical quality requirements. This ensures recipient hospitals are delivering strong outcomes in addition to an excellent patient experience during hospitalization. Only the top 15 percent of this national group (447 hospitals) received the 2014 award.
“This award reflects the commitment of teams across our organization to putting our patients’ needs first and foremost,” said Virginia Mason Chairman and CEO Gary S. Kaplan, MD. “No matter which path leads patients to our door, it’s our job to do everything we can to provide a perfect experience for each person.”
Healthgrades evaluated Virginia Mason’s performance as assessed by patients across 27 different questions that roll up to 10 distinct measures. Ranging from cleanliness and noise levels in a patient room, to factors such as pain management and responsiveness to patient’s needs, the measures also include whether a patient would recommend the hospital to friends or family.
In February, Healthgrades included Virginia Mason as the only hospital in Washington state on its list of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Overall Clinical Excellence.
“As consumers are becoming more active participants in their health care, measured performance surrounding the patient experience at a hospital is an increasingly important consideration for patients in choosing where to receive their care,” said Evan Marks, executive vice president for informatics and strategy at Healthgrades. “Consumers can rest assured that those hospitals that have achieved the Healthgrades 2014 Patient Experience Award demonstrate a commitment to exceptional focus on the needs of the patient during their stay at the hospital.”
For more information about Healthgrades, to download a full copy of the report or to get information about hospital and physician quality, visit www.healthgrades.com/quality.
About Virginia Mason Virginia Mason, founded in 1920, is a nonprofit regional health care system in Seattle that serves the Pacific Northwest. Virginia Mason employs more than 5,600 people and includes a 336-bed acute-care hospital; a primary and specialty care group practice of more than 460 physicians; satellite locations throughout the Puget Sound area; and Bailey-Boushay House, the first skilled-nursing and outpatient chronic care management program in the U.S. designed and built specifically to meet the needs of people with HIV/AIDS. Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason is internationally recognized for its breakthrough autoimmune disease research. Virginia Mason was the first health system to apply lean manufacturing principles to health care delivery to eliminate waste, lower cost, and improve quality and patient safety.