FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

An analysis of patient surveys at 3,775 U.S. hospitals by HealthGrades found that Putnam Hospital Center was ranked in the top 10%, and as a result, received the 2010/2011 HealthGrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award^TM. 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.

Putnam Hospital Center was the only recipient of the HealthGrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award in Putnam County and only one of 8 recipients in NY State for 2010/2011. 

"With our continuing focus on patient-centered care, Putnam Hospital Center has been able to provide quality healthcare with high patient satisfaction levels," says hospital President and CEO Donna M. McGregor. "Our culture places the patients first.  We ask that our staff evaluate and act on decisions always based on the best interest of our patients, resulting in an outstanding patient experience."

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 at hospitals ranked in the top 10% 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 a 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 10% said that their room was always kept quiet, that they always received help from staff quickly, and that staff always explained their medications to them prior to administering them. 

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

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

1.  Overall rating: How do patients rate the hospital overall?

2.  Recommendation to family/friends: Would patients recommend 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?

Among the initiatives Putnam Hospital Center has put into place to improve the patient experience are regular "Voice of the Patient" meetings to address patient concerns, rounding on patients to assess for pain, position and personal needs, and discharge phone calls for patient follow-up in all patient care areas.

Putnam Hospital Center (PHC) is a 164-bed not-for-profit acute care hospital offering the highest quality medical, surgical, psychiatric, pediatric and obstetrical/gynecological care, as well as 24-hour emergency services and home health care; a full range of inpatient and outpatient services are offered. The hospital, which is affiliated with Health Quest, serves a growing population of more than 150,000 men, women and children who live and work in Putnam, northern Westchester and southern Dutchess counties.