32 HCA Healthcare facilities earn top marks in 2022 Press Ganey Human Experience Awards

We’re proud to announce that 32 HCA Healthcare facilities were named 2022 Human Experience Award winners by Press Ganey, a global leader in healthcare experience solutions and services. The awards are part of Press Ganey’s annual ranking of the top hospitals and health systems in the country, recognizing organizations committed to excellence in experience for their patients, workforce and the communities they serve.

Patient and care experience teams across HCA Healthcare continuously review feedback through the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Survey (CAHPS), focus groups, anecdotal feedback and other qualitative measures to determine how we can better provide healthcare that puts people first.

“From front-line teams to those in support roles, our more than 283,000 colleagues work together every day to give HCA Healthcare patients a positive care experience from start to finish,” said Karla Miller, chief patient safety officer at HCA Healthcare. “Press Ganey’s Human Experience Award designations are a testament to the compassion, empathy and human connection our colleagues share with patients through the exceptional care they provide.”  

Guardian of Excellence Award® 

The Guardian of Excellence Award® honors organizations that perform in the top 5% of healthcare organizations for patient experience, employee engagement, physician engagement or clinical quality performance in one year. This year, the following 27 HCA Healthcare facilities were named Guardian of Excellence Award® recipients for patient experience:

• Colleton Medical Center (Inpatient Rehabilitation) in Walterboro, South Carolina
• Del Sol Medical Center (Outpatient Oncology) in El Paso, Texas
• Doctors Hospital of Augusta (Outpatient Oncology) in Augusta, Georgia
• Frankfort Regional Medical Center (Inpatient Behavioral Health) in Frankfort, Kentucky
• HCA Florida Kendall Hospital (Inpatient Behavioral Health) in Miami, Florida
• HCA Florida Kendall Hospital (NICU) in Miami, Florida
• HCA Florida Largo Hospital (Inpatient Behavioral Health) in Largo, Florida
• HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital (Inpatient Behavioral Health) in Fort Pierce, Florida
• HCA Florida Mercy Hospital (Outpatient Oncology) in Miami, Florida
• HCA Florida Mercy Hospital (NICU) in Miami Florida
• HCA Florida West Hospital (Inpatient Behavioral Health) in Pensacola, Florida
• HCA Houston Healthcare West (Outpatient Oncology) in Houston, Texas
• Heart Hospital of Austin (HCAHPS) in Austin, Texas
• Medical City Heart and Spine Hospital (HCAHPS) in Dallas, Texas
• Medical City Las Colinas (NICU) in Irving, Texas
• Ogden Regional Medical Center (Inpatient Rehabilitation) in Ogden, Utah
• Rapides Regional Medical Center (Outpatient Oncology) in Alexandra, Louisiana
• Reston Hospital Center (NICU) in Reston, Virginia
• Retreat Doctors’ Hospital (Inpatient Behavioral Health) in Richmond, Virginia
• Rio Grande Regional Hospital (NICU) in McAllen, Texas
• Terre Haute Regional Hospital (Outpatient Oncology) in Terre Haute
• Texas Orthopedic Hospital (HCAHPS & Inpatient) in Houston, Texas
• The Woman’s Hospital of Texas (CH CAHPS) in Houston, Texas
• Tristar Hendersonville Medical Center (NICU) in Hendersonville, Tennessee
• TriStar Horizon Medical Center (Outpatient Oncology) in Dickson, Tennessee
• TriStar Summit Medical Center (Outpatient Oncology) in Hermitage, Tennessee
• Wesley Medical Center (Outpatient Oncology) in Wichita, Kansas

Pinnacle of Excellence Award® 

The Pinnacle of Excellence Award® recognizes healthcare organizations for demonstrating excellence for a minimum of three consecutive years in patient experience, employee engagement or physician engagement, or two years in clinical quality performance. In 2022, five HCA Healthcare facilities were named Pinnacle of Excellence Award® recipients for patient experience:

• College Park Endoscopy Center (Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgery CAHPS) in Overland Park, Kansas
• HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital (Inpatient Behavioral Health) in Fort Pierce, Florida
• HCA Florida Osceola Hospital (Inpatient Behavioral Health) in Kissimmee, Florida
• Miami Lakes Surgery Center (Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgery CAHPS) in Miami Lakes, Florida
• St Lucie Surgery Center (Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgery CAHPS) in Port St. Lucie, Florida

* HCAHPS refers to the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems

Compassionate Connected Care

Across HCA Healthcare’s 182 facilities and more than 2,300 sites of care, our caregivers leverage Press Ganey’s Compassionate Connected Care (CCC) model as a framework to structure action and ensure an optimal patient experience. It serves as a critical strategy for organizations to deliver high-quality, patient-centric care, allowing leaders and managers to focus their improvement resources in an efficient and effective way. 

The three ‘C’s’ were chosen carefully in Press Ganey’s CCC model of the overall patient experience. Compassion without clinical care is helpful, but not sufficient. Clinical care without compassion leaves both patients and caregivers empty and devoid of real meaning. It is the connection between compassion and clinical care and the connections between caregiver and patient — and among caregivers — that makes the real difference in healthcare.

The model is divided into four aspects of patient care — clinical, operational, behavioral and cultural — and presents clinicians with tangible and tactical solutions to connect with patients to deliver patient-centric care. Six themes of CCC emerge from the model:  

• Acknowledge suffering: caregivers should acknowledge that patients are suffering and show them that they care.
• Body language matters: body language is as important as the words we use.
• Anxiety is suffering: anxiety and uncertainty are negative outcomes that must be addressed.
• Care should be coordinated: patients need to know that their care is coordinated and continuous and that providers are always there for them.
• Autonomy reduces suffering: autonomy preserves patient dignity.
• Real caring transcends medical diagnoses: real caring goes beyond the delivery of medical interventions to the patient.

CCC focuses on providing the sustained implementation of caring behaviors. It provides instruction and insight to help all care providers and staff learn how to avoid common pitfalls of learning initiatives by applying the ‘Five Keys to Sustainable Skills Transfer.’ As part of the program, participants gain access to a series of activities that, when implemented on a monthly basis, help sustain performance over time.

Related article: HCA Healthcare exceeds national average for patient safety grades

Congratulations to HCA Healthcare’s 32 facilities that earned a 2022 Press Ganey Human Experience Award recognition for their commitment to safe, high-quality and compassionate care!