Hospital Receives Excellence in Patient Care Award

Uvalde Memorial Hospital has been chosen to receive an Excellence in Patient Care award given by outcomes firm Studer Group^®. The organization will receive the award at Studer Group’s 13^th annual What’s Right in Health Care® conference in August for their exemplary “Discharge Information” results on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) patient survey.

The Excellence in Patient Care award is given to select organizations that are coached by Studer Group based on various categories. To be eligible for an award, an organization must demonstrate outstanding performance in patient care. Uvalde Memorial Hospital is being recognized for achieving the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) 90^th percentile or higher for their “Discharge Information” HCAHPS composite score for patients discharged between quarter 1 through quarter 4 of 2014.

The “Discharge Information” score measures combined patient responses to 2 questions in the HCAHPS survey:

1. During your hospital stay did doctors, nurses or other hospital staff talk with you about whether you would have the help you needed when you left the hospital?
2. During your hospital stay did you get information in writing about what symptoms or health problems to look out for after you left the hospital?

UMH has worked diligently over the past 18-24 months on unique efforts to address talking to patients about help after discharge and providing written discharge instructions. The hospital has implemented a “green folder system,” a process through which all staff encourage and assist patients in keeping information received during their stay, and upon discharge, in a single location. The green folder is reviewed throughout a patient’s stay and again upon discharge.

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About Studer Group^®, a Huron Healthcare solution:

A recipient of the 2010 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, Studer Group is an outcomes-based healthcare performance improvement firm that works with healthcare organizations in the United States, Canada, and beyond, teaching them how to achieve, sustain, and accelerate exceptional clinical, operational, and financial results. Working together, we help to get the foundation right so organizations can build a sustainable culture that promotes accountability, fosters innovation, and consistently delivers a great patient experience and the best quality outcomes over time. To learn more about Studer Group, a Huron Healthcare solution, visit studergroup.com.