Press Ganey Honors ThedaCare Medical Center-New London and ThedaCare Orthopedic Care
A ThedaCare rural hospital and a major service line received national honors for patient experience. ThedaCare Medical Center-New London has been named a 2014 Commitment to Excellence Award winner by Press Ganey Associates, Inc. The Commitment to Excellence Award recognizes health care organizations that achieved continuous improvement in Patient Experience in HCAHPS (a measure of patient satisfaction)/Inpatient Care. ThedaCare Orthopedic Care was also given a Success Story Award.
Press Ganey is the nation’s leading health care performance improvement company and partners with more than 11,000 health care facilities, including more than half of all U.S. hospitals, to reduce suffering and improve the patient experience. “We are proud to partner with ThedaCare,” said Patrick T. Ryan, CEO of Press Ganey. “Achieving this level of continuous improvement at its New London hospital reflects the organization’s unrelenting commitment to deliver more patient-centered care.”
According to Bill Schmidt, president and CEO of ThedaCare Medical Center-New London, the award represents an important recognition from the industry’s leader in measuring, understanding and improving the patient experience. “This Press Ganey award indicates that, over the past two-year period, our quarter to quarter improvement in patient satisfaction scores was one of the best in the country,” he said. “This means our doctors and staff are doing a better job of meeting the patients’ needs and expectations as they receive their care.”
Schmidt said the award could not be possible without the commitment and dedication of the hospital staff. “It is an intentional effort by all staff to make sure we understand what is important to the patient and are communicating with the patient effectively to meet our mutual goals,” he said. “Only a handful of hospitals across the country were recipients of this award. Our staff, the real drivers of this performance, should be extremely proud of this accomplishment that acknowledges their efforts.”
Jim Shefka, director for the orthopedics business line, said the service line seeks to provide high quality clinical care with the help of patient feedback. “ThedaCare has been able to realistically adjust to meet customer needs and sustain gains in these improvement efforts,” said Shefka.“We continually monitor our sustainment through review of customer feedback through our Press-Ganey reports and other process measures through our management system where we consistently and inclusively share our performance openly with our staff, providers and leaders.”
Recognized as a leader in performance improvement for nearly 30 years, Press Ganey partners with more than 11,000 health care organizations worldwide to create and sustain high-performing organizations, and, ultimately, improve the overall health care experience. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of solutions to help clients operate efficiently, improve quality, increase market share and optimize reimbursement. Press Ganey works with clients from across the continuum of care – hospitals, medical practices, home care agencies and other providers – including more than 50 percent of all U.S. hospitals. For more information, visit www.pressganey.com.
ThedaCare™ is a community health system consisting of seven hospitals: Appleton Medical Center, Theda Clark Medical Center, ThedaCare Medical Center-New London, Shawano Medical Center, Riverside Medical Center in Waupaca, Berlin Memorial Hospital and Wild Rose Community Memorial Hospital. ThedaCare also includes ThedaCare Physicians, ThedaCare Behavioral Health, ThedaCare At Work, and ThedaCare At Home. ThedaCare is one of the largest employers in Northeast Wisconsin with more than 6,175 employees. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
