Mon General Recognized by Healthgrades for Achievements in both Patient Safety and Patient Experience

            For the second year in a row, Mon General Hospital is the only hospital in West Virginia to achieve two distinctions of quality excellence from Healthgrades – the Healthgrades 2015 Patient Safety Excellence Award™ and the Healthgrades 2015 Outstanding Patient Experience Award™. Healthgrades, the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals, announced the awards on April 7.
 

            Only 93 out of the 3,558 hospitals evaluated for both patient safety and experience excellence had the superior performance to be recipients of both achievements. This places Mon General Hospital among the top 2% of all hospitals in the nation evaluated for excellent performance in safeguarding patients from serious, potentially preventable complications during their hospital stays as well as providing a positive experience for patients.
 

            Both awards are based on hard data and measurable outcomes.  The patient experience award is based on results from a national, standardized, publicly-reported survey of patient’s opinions of their hospital experience (HCAHPS). The patient safety award is based on data from the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ.)

            “To be recognized among the top 2% of all hospitals in the nation is a great achievement,” said Mon Health System President and CEO Darryl Duncan. “This is a direct reflection on the compassion and diligence Mon General’s healthcare team provides to patients each and every day.

            “What’s most rewarding about these honors is that they have become a pattern for Mon General,” Duncan said. “We have received both of these awards, either individually or together, many times over the past decade. This achievement shows that Mon General’s caregivers take the safety and wellbeing of those we serve very seriously.”

            Safety is the number one service standard at Mon General. The hospital has committed itself to ensuring that patients and staff are provided a safe environment, free from harm.

            Patients treated in hospitals receiving Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence Award were, on average:

• 43.9% less likely to experience an accidental puncture or laceration during a procedure, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.

• 53.6% less likely to experience a collapsed lung due to a procedure or surgery in or around the chest, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.

• 47.4% less likely to experience catheter-related blood stream infections, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.

• 43.8% less likely to experience pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.           

            During the study period (2011-2013), Healthgrades 2015 Patient Safety Excellence Award recipient hospitals performed with excellence in providing safety for patients in the Medicare population, as measured by objective outcomes (risk-adjusted patient safety indicator rates) for 13 patient safety indicators defined by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

 

            In addition to being recognized as one of Healthgrades 2015 Patient Safety Excellence Award, Mon General Hospital also out-performed peer hospitals in patient experience.
           

            Healthgrades evaluated performance by applying a scoring methodology to 10 patient experience measures, using data collected from a 27-question survey of the hospital’s own patients. The survey questions focus on patients’ perspectives of their care in the hospital.  Question topics range from cleanliness and noise levels in patient rooms to factors such as pain management and responsiveness to patients’ needs.  The measures also include whether a patient would recommend the hospital to friends or family.

            For more information about Healthgrades or to download a full copy of the report or to receive information about hospital and physician quality, visit: www.Healthgrades.com/quality.