Patient satisfaction at the 75th percentile

This week we celebrated impressive improvements in Community General Hospital's patient satisfaction scores . . . across the board.

There were free sundaes in the cafeteria on Wednesday, and Chris Stryker, Chief Nursing Officer, and her Directors Nancy Thompson, Lyn Pittinger, and Cathy North brought ice cream to night staff in various departments.

The graph shows Community's overall patient satisfaction rating, as posted in the hospital this week.

The Press Ganey survey scores (second quarter, 2010) show patients overall rating of the hospital at 86.4%, a statistically significant improvement over previous scores. That score puts Community at the 75th percentile for hospitals of our size nationally and for hospitals in our Central New York comparison area.

The overall rating reflects improving patient satisfaction in all areas, including these statistically significant gains:

▪ Satisfaction with nursing care and communication -- 89.9%, up over two percentage points
▪ Satisfaction with doctors care and communication -- 88.7%, up over two points
▪ Satisfaction with the handling of personal issues -- 87.0%, up over two points
▪ Satisfaction with hospital accommodations -- 81.4%, up over four points

We've seen the improvements coming as we track the changes from week-to-week and quarter-to-quarter.

Improved patient satisfaction has also been evident in the HCAHPS* scores the federal government posts on its Hospital Compare website. I talked about the HCAHPS improvements in employee meetings last May.

It's great to know that patients see improved value from our caring and in our hospital environment. Congratulations to Community's employees, to our management team, and to our medical staff.

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* HCAHPS stands for "Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems." HCAHPS track and report the opinion of Medicare patients at hospitals across the nation.