UT Southwestern receives two major patient satisfaction awards from Press Ganey

UT Southwestern Medical Center is one of only two academic medical centers in the country to receive two major patient satisfaction awards from Press Ganey, a national consulting firm specializing in health care performance.

UT Southwestern earned a Patient Voice Award, which honors academic medical centers that achieve outstanding patient satisfaction scores, and a Summit Award, for hospitals that sustained consistently high levels of excellence in patient satisfaction over a three-year period. Both awards, announced today at a conference in National Harbor, Md., recognize outstanding care provided to patients at Zale Lipshy University Hospital.

UT Southwestern is the nation's only academic medical center to win both awards in each of the past two years.

"The Press Ganey awards are especially meaningful as they are based on the opinions and feedback of patients," said Dr. Bruce Meyer, executive vice president for health system affairs. "The recognition reflects the efforts of our entire hospital staff. It signifies a high level of consistency and quality that our team delivers throughout the entire patient-care process."

Press Ganey uses federal patient satisfaction data known as Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) to select its Patient Voice Award winners. The data, which represent UT Southwestern's performance from April 2011 through March 2012, measure patient satisfaction in areas such as communication with doctors and nurses, responsiveness of hospital staff, pain management, cleanliness, and quietness. Recognized hospitals had to score an overall rating in the 90th percentile or higher.

Just seven academic medical centers received a Patient Voice Award, up from three recognized in 2011.

Press Ganey also uses patient feedback in the form of HCAHPS data in selecting its Summit Award winners. UTSW ranked in at least the 95th percentile every three months for three consecutive years - from April 2009 through March 2012. UT Southwestern was one of 100 Summit Award winners nationwide.

Source: UT Southwestern Medical Center