NMH Honored for Patient Care

NMH Honored for Patient Care

Northwestern Memorial Hospital recently garnered accolades for excellence in patient care. Consumers’ Checkbook, a Washington, D.C.–based nonprofit consumer education organization, named NMH fifth on the list of “America’s Top Hospitals” in a 2002 national survey. The hospital’s Best Patient Experience (BPE) pilot project received the annual Patient Service Excellence Award from Sodexho Health Care Services and Modern Healthcare for its responsiveness to patients’ needs, preferences, and expectations. This national award goes to only one health care organization in the country each year.

In the Consumers’ Checkbook survey, more than 1,300 acute care facilities were rated by surveying more than 20,000 physicians nationwide. Physician ratings, mortality rates for various medical and surgical cases, Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations scores, and extent of training based on medical school affiliations and residents were among the criteria used to evaluate the hospitals surveyed.

Sodexho applauded NMH’s effort to provide compassionate care. Housed on Northwestern Memorial’s eighth floor, the BPE pilot project offers patients a personalized and welcoming experience, from scheduling appointments to paying bills. Since launching the pilot program, NMH’s overall patient satisfaction scores have increased to nearly 97 percent.