Zale Lipshy University Hospital at UT Southwestern Medical Center received the 2013 Press Ganey Beacon of Excellence Award for patient satisfaction, one of only three academic medical centers in the nation and one of 26 health care facilities selected nationally to receive that distinction.
The Press Ganey Beacon of Excellence Award recognizes leading health care facilities that have achieved and consistently maintained high levels of excellence for multiple years, representing the three top-performing organizations in each category. Press Ganey partners with more than 10,000 health care facilities, including more than half of all U.S. hospitals, to measure and improve patient experience. The awards are presented to only 45 organizations each year.
"UT Southwestern methodically emphasizes patient satisfaction as the backbone of our health care on a daily basis," said Dr. John Warner, CEO of University Hospitals at UT Southwestern. "This award reflects that priority and commitment to our patients and showcases the extra effort our hospital staff makes on a daily basis to make it a reality."
Zale Lipshy University Hospital officials developed strategies for success from patient comments, employee engagement surveys, and site visits to other high-performing hospitals. Those included efforts to make the hospital environment a peaceful, quiet place; to anticipate needs for patients and their families; to resolve problems directly; and to place high priority on the confidentiality of patients, families, and colleagues. The hospital began by reducing overhead paging, instituting daily hospital huddles, establishing an etiquette policy, reviewing patients' feedback during rounds, and reviewing special needs for patients to ensure better-informed handoffs between nurses and other caregivers as shifts changed.
"Achieving and sustaining such a high degree of excellence reflects the organization's deep commitment to delivering outstanding service and quality," said Patrick T. Ryan, CEO of Press Ganey. "Ultimately, this accomplishment is a bold statement to the community that Zale Lipshy University Hospital provides excellent patient care and experiences."
With the opening of UT Southwestern's new state-of-the-art, $800 million William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital in late 2014, Zale Lipshy University Hospital is poised to become the region's first dedicated, freestanding neuroscience facility, one of only a few in the country, and one of the world's premier neurological diagnostic and treatment centers. Specialties will include neurology, neurosurgery, neuroradiology and imaging, neuro-oncology, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, orthopaedic spine, physical medicine and rehabilitation, psychiatry, and radiosurgery. Zale Lipshy also houses specialized, multidisciplinary programs that include treatments for cerebrovascular disease, complex spine disorders, conditions affecting the cranial base, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's disease.
UT Southwestern Medical Center's neurology and neurosurgery programs are nationally ranked in U.S. News & World Report listings, and they are the highest ranked in North Texas. UT Southwestern neurological surgeons have performed more surgeries to prevent aneurysmal hemorrhage than any other medical center in the U.S.
Zale Lipshy University Hospital highlights include:
• Certified stroke program staffed 24/7 by a specially trained multidisciplinary team that includes a telestroke program and stroke hotline (214-645-FAST)
• Cutting-edge imaging with Aquilion One 320-slice CT scanner and 3T MRI
• A 20-bed neuro intensive care unit (ICU) staffed by physicians trained in neurology and critical care
• Multiroom, multimodal neuroangiography suite and hybrid neuro-angio operating room providing both diagnostic and minimally invasive treatment interventions
• An 18-bed inpatient psychiatric unit supported by active ECT and neuromodulation programs that serve both inpatients and outpatients
• A 42-bed rehabilitation unit that includes a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach in rehabilitating patients with functional impairments due to acute illness or injury
• 13 spacious surgical suites equipped for state-of-the-art specialty surgery, as well as more common surgical procedures
• Stereotactic services including the latest Gamma Knife and Accuray technology
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