CHARLESTON, S.C., May 19, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Roper St. Francis' three hospitals ranked among the best in the country in a first-ever report on the top 100 hospitals for patient engagement, according to the National Patient Engagement Ranking from Axial Exchange and Becker's Hospital Review.
Roper Hospital in downtown Charleston ranked No. 4 overall, Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital in West Ashley ranked No. 9 and Mount Pleasant Hospital ranked No. 16. The national ranking released last week evaluated 3,077 hospitals and their engagement efforts. The analysis included public data, such as readmissions, patient satisfaction and the extent to which hospitals offered information and resources to engage patients in self care.
"Roper St. Francis has been recognized as one of the most patient-engaged health systems in America," said Roper St. Francis CEO David Dunlap. "Ensuring that we provide our patients with the information and tools to take control of their care is key to patient engagement and an integral part of our mission of healing all people with compassion, faith and excellence."
The highest score a hospital could receive was 100, and the highest score a hospital received was 89.6. Roper Hospital earned an 86.3, Bon Secours St. Francis earned an 83.8 and Roper St. Francis Mount Pleasant Hospital earned an 82.2.
The ranking is based on four metrics:
- Patient satisfaction
- Readmission rate
- Social media engagement
- Patient education and self-care tools
Roper St. Francis values patients' satisfaction so much that the system started a Patient and Family Experience Council last year. This group is made of more than a dozen representatives from patients and their families, as well as Roper St. Francis teammates and physicians. This group has been tasked with working to improve the quality and safety of the health system's care for its patients.
"We established the Patient and Family Experience Council to help lead the organization to improve patient safety, improve patient quality and inevitably get the best patient outcomes every time," said Dr. Todd Shuman, vice president and chief quality officer for Roper St. Francis.
The National Patient Engagement Ranking defined patient engagement as "the process by which patients become invested in their own health. Achieving excellence in clinical outcomes is dependent upon superior patient engagement." Axial and Becker's Hospital Review decided to do the report because other national rankings, such as those by U.S. News and World Report, haven't included patient satisfaction as a factor.
About Roper St. Francis
Roper St. Francis has three flagship hospitals strategically located in key growth areas across the region: Roper Hospital on the Charleston peninsula, Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital in the West Ashley region and Roper St. Francis Mount Pleasant Hospital in Mount Pleasant. The system intends to build a fourth flagship hospital in the Carnes Crossroads section of Berkeley County.
Roper St. Francis is one of the Lowcountry's largest private employers with more than 5,200 employees. The 657-bed healthcare system has a robust, active medical staff of more than 800 doctors representing every medical specialty and provides services in more than 100 locations in seven counties.
In total, Roper St. Francis provides: five full-service Emergency Departments; three helipads, including the region's only hospital-rooftop helipad at the Roper campus; and the regionally renowned inpatient Roper Rehabilitation Hospital. Each of the system's three hospitals includes adjacent medical office buildings, and the Bon Secours St. Francis campus boasts a freestanding comprehensive Cancer Center.
Roper St. Francis is the Lowcountry's only private, not-for-profit healthcare provider. Learn more at www.rsfh.com .
Andy Lyons Office: 843-958-1272 Cell: 843-513-3791
