Salem Hospital is a recipient of the Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award for the second consecutive year.

This distinction places Salem Hospital among the top 10 percent of hospitals in the nation for patient experience. Salem Hospital was identified for providing outstanding performance in the delivery of positive experiences for patients during their hospital stay, according to Healthgrades, the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals. Salem Hospital is also the only large hospital in Oregon to achieve this honor.

“As a Magnet® organization, everyone here is aware of our commitment to positively impact the patient experience through clinical excellence resulting in good clinical outcomes as well as high patient satisfaction,” said Marty Enriquez, vice president and chief nursing officer at Salem Health. “We believe that patient experience is intertwined with the quality of our care and is key to delivering the best possible outcomes for those we serve.”

Healthgrades evaluated 3,582 hospitals that submitted patient surveys to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), covering admissions from March 2012 – April 2013, to assess those hospitals that are leading the nation in delivering the best patient experience. To be eligible for the Healthgrades 2014 Outstanding Patient Experience Award, hospitals had to meet additional clinical quality requirements. This ensures recipient hospitals are delivering strong outcomes in addition to an excellent patient experience during the hospitalization. The top 15 percent of this national group (447 hospitals) achieved the 2014 award, and Salem Hospital is 1 of only 4 recipients in Oregon, and 1 of 394 hospitals to rank in the top 10 percent nationally.

In January, Healthgrades announced that Salem Hospital was a recipient of the Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence and Critical Care Excellence Award. The patient experience award continues to solidify Salem Hospital as a national leader for both excellent clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction.

“It takes great effort, involving many people at all levels of large organizations to achieve the type of culture change necessary to improve the patient experience,” said David Barlow, director of service excellence. “Achieving high patient satisfaction involves partnering with families in significant ways to improve care and welcoming participation from our guests in the design of structures and process that ultimately help us serve others better. Wherever we have success with tests of change and innovation we share those across our system with the intent to bring that same positive experience to all patients.”

Healthgrades evaluated Salem Hospital’s performance as assessed by the hospital’s patients across 27 different questions that roll up to ten distinct measures. Ranging from cleanliness and noise levels in a patient room to factors such as pain management and responsiveness to patient’s needs, the measures also include whether a patient would recommend this hospital to friends or family.

“As consumers are becoming more active participants in their health care, measured performance surrounding the patient experience at a hospital is an increasingly important consideration for patients in choosing where to receive their care,” said Evan Marks, EVP Informatics and Strategy for Healthgrades. “Consumers can rest assured that those hospitals that have achieved the Healthgrades 2014 Patient Experience Award demonstrate a commitment to exceptional focus on the needs of the patient during their stay at the hospital.”

For more information about Healthgrades, to download a full copy of the report or to get information about hospital and physician quality, visit: healthgrades.com today.

Salem Hospital is part of Salem Health, along with West Valley Hospital, Willamette Health Partners and other affiliated health care organizations offering exceptional care to people in and around Oregon’s mid-Willamette Valley. Visit us at salemhealth.org; “Like” us on facebook.com/salemhealth; follow us on Twitter: @salemhealth; and view us at youtube.com/salemhealth.