The Women’s Choice Award Announces America’s Best Heart Care Hospitals
Ft. Lauderdale, FL (PRWEB) January 29, 2014 -- The Women’s Choice Award is pleased to announce the 2014 winners of America’s Best Hospitals in Heart Care as more women self-manage their care, and seek providers they can trust. February is American Heart Month and it’s more important than ever to raise awareness of heart care, as one in every four women dies from heart disease in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The following hospitals carry the Women’s Choice Award seal, which signifies their commitment and passion for creating an extraordinary healthcare experience:
Athens Regional Health System (Athens, GA)
Citizens Medical Center (Victoria, TX)
Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center (Jasper, IN)
Munroe Regional Medical Center (Ocala, FL)
San Antonio Community Medical Center (Upland, CA)
St. Helena Hospital (St. Helena, CA)
UC Davis Medical Center (Sacramento, CA)
Wentworth-Douglass Hospital (Dover, NH)
The Women’s Choice Award is the only distinction that identifies the nation’s best healthcare institutions based on robust criteria that considers patient satisfaction, clinical excellence and what women really want when it comes to treatment and a quality hospital experience. The award winning hospitals not only performed well clinically with regard to heart care measures, but also have a high recommendation rate, a measure that is very important to women in choosing a hospital.
“Women are taking more control of the decision making process when it comes to selecting hospitals prior to selecting doctors,” says Delia Passi, CEO & Founder of WomenCertified, home of the Women’s Choice Award. “As the primary healthcare decision makers, women account for about 90 percent of all family choices when it comes to matters of health. Making quick decisions goes against her grain and women are seeking more information than ever before when making healthcare or hospital selections. Our mission is to reduce the risk for women and their families so they can make smarter healthcare choices. ”
As the collective voice of female consumers, the Women’s Choice Award provides women with recommendations they can trust, from other women. Eighty percent of women will choose a brand that is highly recommended by others and over 92 percent of women will trust a hospital more if it carries the Women’s Choice Award seal, according to MedeliaMonitor, Independent Poll (2013).
In addition to clinical excellence and high recommendation rates, America’s Best Hospitals for Patient Experience in Heart Care were selected by utilizing the Outcome of Care Measures data made available by Medicare. The measures used were (a) death within 30 days of admission for heart attack, (b) death within 30 days of admission for heart disease, (c) readmission within 30 days for heart attack, (d) readmission within 30 days for heart disease. The data was used to identify the top 25 percent of hospitals based on an average ranking over the four measures. The resulting hospitals were screened based on their recommendation score from HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) data for the same period. Only hospitals recommended by four out of five patients surveyed were selected. A final screening was done to eliminate any hospital that had an abnormal CLABSI (Central Line Associated Blood Stream Infection) rating as reported by Medicare. The process resulted in 245 hospitals receiving the award out of a population of over 4,600 facilities.
According to Dr. Frank I. Luntz, author and noted pollster, “Americans think about their care as a highly personal issue. It’s about personal health and we need to talk about health and care as distinct qualities, values and objectives rather than a massive system.” The Women’s Choice Award criteria recognizes the dedication and professionalism of doctors, nurses and support staff in providing the best in cardiac care and serves as a trusted source women can use in making healthcare decisions.
“Clearly, women appreciate learning from the experiences of others, as they take more time to identify the best hospitals and seek validation in their choices,” added Passi. “We have found that recommendations are the single most important consideration used by women in selecting a hospital for themselves and their family.”
The full list of awarded hospitals is available at womenschoiceaward.com.
About the Women’s Choice Award
The Women’s Choice Award sets the standard for helping women make smarter choices by collectively identifying the brands, products and services most recommended and trusted by women and those that deliver a customer experience worthy of her recommendation. Awards are based on surveys of thousands of women, as well as research conducted in partnership with the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania on what drives the consumer experience for women vs. men. As the leading advocate for female consumers, WomenCertified®, home of the Women’s Choice Award, created the first national award based on the ratings and preferences of women to provide them with a collective voice. Women can make their preferences heard and be part of the mission toward a million voices strong by visiting the Women’s Choice Award official website at http://www.womenschoiceaward.com and joining the network.
Susan Long, WomenCertified, http://www.WomensChoiceAward.com, +1 954-922-0846, [email protected]
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