Saint Joseph Hospital and Saint Joseph East Earn National 'Excellence through Insight' Awards for Outstanding Patient Satisfaction
Saint Joseph Health System continually measures patient satisfaction to gain valuable insight about patients’ experiences and community perceptions of its services. The organization focuses on turning insight into action – how to best utilize research findings to keep raising the bar in the delivery of health care. Three recent national Excellence through Insight awards from HealthStream Research reflect this determination to provide the highest level of health care.
HealthStream Research, the research business group of HealthStream, Inc., has released the results of its latest study (conducted in 2010) that identifies hospitals that provide an outstanding patient experience. Saint Joseph Hospital and Saint Joseph East were the only two hospitals in Kentucky to make the list in their respective categories, and the only two hospitals in Lexington mentioned in the overall list.
Saint Joseph Hospital was the only Kentucky hospital recognized for “Overall Emergency Department Satisfaction.”
“I’m delighted our staff has been recognized for the outstanding service they provide to our patients,” said Marilyn Swinford, director of emergency services. “We are committed to keeping our patients happy in what can often be a stressful, frightening time for them. To be able to achieve a satisfied patient in the ER is quite a feat.”
With the new “No Wait ER” program, in which the goal is emergency care begins within five minutes of a patient’s arrival time and a doctor examines the patient within 30 minutes, Swinford said the hospital is providing a better experience for emergency department patients. The aim is to lessen anxiety and frustration, while delivering the same high-quality care that patients expect from Saint Joseph Health System.
Saint Joseph East was the only Kentucky hospital recognized for “Overall Outpatient Satisfaction” as well as overall satisfaction for their Outpatient-Cardiology unit (cardiac cath lab), an honor it has received three years in a row.
According to Paula Fox, manager of the cardiac cath lab at Saint Joseph East, the unit has built a culture around customer service. “This achievement is remarkable given the unique challenges associated with a cath lab. The commitment of our team has and always will be to provide excellent patient experiences,” she said.
“The Excellence through Insight awards reflect the outstanding care provided to our patients on a daily basis,” said Ken Haynes, president of Saint Joseph Hospital and Saint Joseph East. “We are honored to have received this distinction and are dedicated to always providing person-centered care, where the patient and their family is our first priority.”
To qualify for an Excellence through Insight award, a hospital must have been a patient satisfaction-tracking client of HealthStream in 2010 and scored in the 75th percentile or higher. Saint Joseph Hospital and Saint Joseph East were chosen for receiving the highest ratings in satisfaction from among HealthStream Research’s clients, as well as exceeding industry standards. A formal presentation of the awards will be made during HealthStream’s customer summit, May 5, 2011, in Nashville, TN. For information about HealthStream, visit www.healthstream.com.
