Longmont United Hospital is Ranked Among the

Top 5% in the Nation for Outstanding Patient Experience

for 2010/2011

Recipient of the HealthGrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award™

For 3 years in a Row 2009, 2009/2010, 2010/2011

 

 

An analysis of patient surveys at 3,775 U.S. hospitals by HealthGrades found that Longmont United Hospital was ranked in the top 5%, and as a result, received the 2010/2011 HealthGrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award™. The surveys were given to patients shortly after their discharge to ascertain their experience on a range of issues, from communication with doctors and nurses to cleanliness and pain management, Longmont United has been recognized with this distinction for every year the award has been given.

 

"Providing safe and excellent patient care continues to be forefront of our mission, core values, and strategic plan. We are also a Planetree Designated Patient-Centered Hospital, further validating our commitment to excellent patient-centered care," commented Mitchell C. Carson, President & GEO, Longmont United Hospital. "We are extremely grateful to have an outstanding team of health professionals that go above and beyond to provide safe, patient-centered care."

 

The surveys are standardized and issued to patients within 48 hours of leaving the hospital as part of the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) initiative from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

 

This analysis by HealthGrades utilized HCAHPS surveys collected between July 2008 and June 2009 and found that patients t hospitals ranked in the top 15% were 50% more likely to recommend the hospital to family and friends, compared with hospitals ranked in the bottom 15%.  That same percentage - 50% - were more likely to rate the overall experience as 9 or 10, on a scale of 1 to 10, than patients at the hospitals ranked in the bottom 15%. Additionally, a higher percentage of patients of hospitals ranked in the top 15% said their room was always kept quiet, they always received help from staff quickly, and staff always explained their medications to them prior to administering them.

 

Hospitals ranked in the top 15% were recognized as recipients of the Outstanding Patient Experience Award™. Longmont United Hospital's final survey results placed them into the top 5% in the analysis.

 

The HCAHPS survey questions assessed patients experienced in the following ten categories:

  1. Overall rating: How do patients rate the hospital overall?
  2. Recommendation to family/ friends: Would patients recommended the hospital to friends and family?
  3. Communication with doctors: How often did doctors communicate well with patients?
  4. Communication with nurses: How often did nurses communicate well with patients?
  5. Responsiveness of hospital staff: how often did patients receive help quickly from hospital staff?
  6. Pain management: How often was patients' pain well controlled?
  7. Communication about medicines: How often did staff explain medicines before giving them to patients?
  8. Discharge information: Were patients given information about what to do during their recovery at home? (this question was the only yes/no measure.)
  9. Cleanliness: How often were the patients' rooms and bathrooms kept clean?
  10. Quietness: How often was the area around patients' rooms kept quiet at night?

 

"There are a select group of hospitals that have made a top-to-bottom commitment to providing their patients with an outstanding patients experience as part of their overall commitment to quality," said Rick May, MC, a HealthGrades vice president. "Members of their community sound take pride in knowing that, should they need it, there's a hospital in their area that puts patients firsts."