Horizon Health Earns Top Marks for Patient Satisfaction

Paris Community Hospital, a service of Horizon Health, is a top hospital in the nation for patient satisfaction, according to newly released survey data for 2019.

Specifics about the hospital’s “5-star” rating were announced by the US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and are available at Medicare.gov.

Data for this rating came from a 10-question survey completed by patients regarding their hospital stay. The areas surveyed ranged from responsiveness of hospital staff to cleanliness and quietness of the hospital.

The ratings program is called the HCAHPS Summary Star Rating system. HCAHPS stands for Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems. Results can be evaluated comparatively to other area hospitals, state averages, or national averages at Medicare.gov.

“The goal is to identify areas of improvement and continually make our organization better,” said Amy Arnett, RN, MS, CPHQ, Horizon Health’s Infection Control and Quality Improvement manager. “Achieving this rating highlights the progress we’ve made.”

In addition to its 5-star overall rating, Horizon Health earned a 5-star rating for each of the following survey questions:

• Communication With Nurses – 91 percent of respondents said their nurses always communicated well. That compares to 81 percent, both statewide and nationally.
• Communication With Doctors – 89 percent of respondents said their doctors always communicated well. That compares to 81 statewide and 82 percent nationally.
• Communication About Medicines – 70 percent of respondents said staff always explained medicines before giving them. That compares to 66 percent, both statewide and nationally.
• Discharge Information – 93 percent of respondents said they were given information about what to do during their recovery at home. That compares to 87 percent, both statewide and nationally.

“I’m proud of the work our staff has done to achieve these ratings,” said Oliver Smith, Horizon Health president and CEO. “Our goal is to consistently achieve high-quality care for our patients that goes beyond survey indicators, and I believe we do that.”