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Organizations interested in applying for designation should contact: 203-732-1381 Links: More Information for Providers Sharp Coronado Hospital and Health Care Center
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Overview of Designation Program The Patient-Centered Hospital Designation Program was created by Planetree to recognize hospitals around the world that have embraced and implemented patient-centered care in a comprehensive manner. The program is based on Planetree’s decades of experience in working with patients, families, and hospitals. In a patient-centered approach to healthcare, providers partner with patients and their family members to identify and satisfy the full range of patient needs and preferences. In addition to improving the patient experience, patient-centered organizations also focus on supporting the professional and personal aspirations of their staff members, who can more effectively care for patients if they are cared for themselves. Based on the feedback of thousands of patients and hospital staff members since 1978, Planetree identified core elements that are essential to practicing patient-centered care. Planetree summarized these elements in a book, “Putting Patients First: Designing and Practicing Patient-Centered Care,” which was named the 2004 Book of the Year by the American College of Healthcare Executives. To download chapter 1 of the book, click here. The Patient-Centered Hospital Designation Program is based on the core patient-centered care elements identified and practiced by pioneering Planetree affiliate hospitals, as well additional elements related to organizational structures and measurement. For each core element, specific criteria were identified that hospitals must meet in order to demonstrate that they have implemented that aspect of a patient-centered approach to care. The criteria are designed to provide a level of consistency in what it means to be a patient-centered hospital while still continuing to promote individuality and innovation in the delivery of care. The criteria are designed to be applicable to all acute care hospitals, irrespective of size, location, or affiliation with Planetree. The designation program provides a practical, operational framework for evaluating the organizational systems and processes necessary to sustain a patient-centered culture. In order to achieve designation, a hospital must undergo a rigorous, yet collaborative, process to verify that it has successfully implemented programs that meet the spirit and intent of the designation criteria. An applicant hospital initially conducts a self-assessment and then submits documentation to Planetree. After reviewing the documentation, if the hospital appears to meet the criteria, Planetree schedules a site visit to verify the hospital’s implementation. During the site visit, a review team tours the facility, meets with hospital leadership and the patient and family advisory council, and conducts detailed focus groups and interviews with patients and staff. Following the site visit, the hospital receives a status report and recommendations related to opportunities to further enhance patient-centered care. A designation committee of national healthcare experts makes the final determination on designation. Designated hospitals are nationally recognized by The Joint Commission, which has approved the designation program as one of the awards that it will recognize on its Quality Check website by featuring the designation in the special quality awards section of each designated hospital’s profile. More Information for Providers Organizations interested in applying for designation should contact Carrie Brady, Vice President ,Quality at cbrady@planetree.org or (203) 732-1381. If you have the opportunity to choose a hospital for your care, you may wish to consult the Planetree membership directory, which includes more than 125 healthcare organizations that are working together to implement and innovate in patient-centered care. The Patient-Centered Hospital Designation Program also provides a method for patients to prospectively evaluate a hospital’s patient-centered practices. Click here for a list of designated hospitals. In addition, please click here to access a list of questions to ask your hospital about patient-centered care. To supplement the information consumers may gather at the Hospital Compare Website, Planetree has made available a list of questions to ask about hospital operations and policies, including approaches to visitation, sharing of one’s medical chart, ability to tailor one’s meal choices and times, and availability of complementary therapies. The complete list of “Questions to Ask Your Hospital About Patient-Centered Care” is available HERE. Fauquier Hospital is an 86-bed not-for-profit facility serving a rural/suburban Virginia community with a full array of diagnostic and treatment capabilities in a patient-friendly environment that has been redefined by the Planetree philosophy. The patient perspective is the driving force for Fauquier where routine human interactions are seen as opportunities to convey care, concern and compassion. As one example among many, when one patient shared how maddening it was to have to provide the same information every time she came for a chemotherapy treatment, the hospital immediately responded with a streamlined process that reduced the frustrating repetition. The patient was impressed that her complaint directly changed patient care for the better. Effective communication is a priority at Fauquier. A patient concierge talks with every inpatient to discover and address any concerns they may have. All employees participate in workshops that reinforce the importance of simple behaviors like eye contact, escorting rather than pointing, making introductions, and providing a consistent flow of pertinent information to patients. Though medication errors at Fauquier are low, the frequency of patients’ being unable to confidently identify all of their medications was seen as a potential health risk. In response, the hospital developed a new automated system that not only tracks medications prescribed internally, but also electronically gathers patients’ external medication records instantaneously. What results is a comprehensive list of current prescriptions against which new medications can be checked for potential interactions. This prescription information can also be electronically accessed by the patient’s regular physician to ensure a continuum of care. This emphasis on meeting patients’ educational needs is an organizational priority. Our on-site Health Resource Center provides access to consumer literature on a variety of health and wellness topics. Open access for patients to their medical records empowers patients with information while promoting an environment of openness. Unrestricted visiting hours and overnight accommodations for family members have inspired a shift in how patients’ loved ones are viewed. No longer seen as “visitors,” today at Fauquier Hospital, they are considered critical partners in the patient’s care whose presence and involvement are actively encouraged. Knowing that family members will often provide care for the patient upon discharge, Fauquier treats the hospitalization as an opportunity to educate both the patient and their family. A Care Partner Program provides an opportunity for a loved one to actively contribute to the patient’s care through communication, education, and emotional and spiritual support. Patients who come to the hospital expecting bland, unappealing meals are surprised to discover that, not only does the food look and taste fresh and appetizing, but there is also a variety of tempting choices. Room service delivery to patient rooms means that patients can order what they want when they want it. While a hospital will never feel like home, Fauquier has taken great care to create a comfortable, calming, and healing physical environment. All patient rooms are private and feature Internet connections, ensuring their ability to stay connected. The hospital’s color palette, furnishings, lighting, solariums and art all work together to create an ambiance of warmth and healing that feels far from institutional. In accordance with the Planetree philosophy, Fauquier Hospital’s caregivers are committed to being attentive to not only patients’ and families’ physical and emotional needs, but their spiritual needs as well. A welcoming, non-denominational chapel provides unlimited opportunities for reflection and prayer, and regularly scheduled meditation sessions and prayer services build a sense of community. This holistic approach has also resulted in a variety of programs intended to soothe the mind and feed the soul, like our pet therapy program. The hospital recently opened a wellness center that reinforces that Fauquier serves its community, not only in sickness, but also in health. Equipped with a variety of high-end exercise equipment, two large exercise studios, two soothing massage rooms, and a healthy snacks café, the center offers an individualized and medically-based exercise program that uses exercise and education to facilitate good health in a sunny, spa-like environment. This focus on patient-centered initiatives means one thing for Fauquier Hospital’s patients – better care. How do we know? The hospital continues to consistently out-perform state and national averages on key quality measures. In northern Oregon, there is a glimpse of what the future of medical care could be. Here along the banks of the Columbia River a whole new vision of hospitals is taking shape. The people who live here are practical and conservative. They make their living from orchards, ranching and timber. For medical care they go to a hospital in a town called The Dalles. It is typical of good small town hospitals and is thoroughly state-of-the-art. But for the people who run it though, the best technology is not enough.” Those were the words famed journalist Bill Moyers used in 1992 to open a segment of his Healing and the Mind series for PBS TV devoted to groundbreaking activities occuring at Mid-Culumbia Medical Center in The Dalles. Only a few months before the Moyers series aired, MCMC had become the first hospital in the world to complete a hospital-wide conversion to the Planetree model of care. Moyers caught wind of the remarkable transformation of MCMC from typical small community hospital to whole-person center of healing and included the organization in his Healing and the Mind series. That program, which at the time was the highest-rated PBS special ever, earned MCMC an international reputation for innovation in healthcare that the organization has only built on over the ensuing years. Today MCMC is a model of how true whole-person care can be lived, demonstrated and delivered throughout an entire organization, from support staff to caregivers, from healing architecture and art to education and from patients to patients’ loved ones. That MCMC is a hospital of a different breed is apparent from the moment a visitor enters the building. The main entrance opens into a large waiting area that could adorn a spread in Traditional Home magazine. Large, comfortable sofas and wing back chairs, upholstered in rich floral and striped fabrics, are arranged around mahogany coffee tables. The room is bathed in the soft light of rustic brass table and floor lamps. Original paintings from local artists and wallpaper adorn the walls, and fabric window treatments complete the welcoming atmosphere. Visitors entering through the rear of the hospital walk through revolving doors into a magnificent four-story, glass atrium with terra cotta tiled floors, a baby grand piano and a towering fern-covered rock waterfall. The healing architecture and amenities extend throughout the organization, in all hospital departments, including the emergency room, in the adjacent medical office building and innovative cancer center, Cellilo, and even into the community, where in downtown The Dalles MCMC remodeled a beautiful Victorian to house its Planetree Health Resource Center. In the years since implementing Planetree, MCMC has developed several new initiatives all designed around the goal of meeting the broader definition of health that MCMC has adopted, one intended to address the biological, social, environmental, intellectual and spiritual needs of patients and their families. Cornerstone programs in this effort include the Center of Mind and Body Medicine, were stress-reduction and relaxation-promoting tools like yoga, acupuncture and tai chi are merged with traditional approaches to cardiac rehabilitation, diabetes management and pain management. All of those ancient healing therapies and many others combine to form the “integrative therapy program of MCMC’s innovative cancer center, which opened in 2002. In this beautiful and innovative center, patients benefit from a complete arsenal of healing tools, including those mind-body integrative therapies, chemotherapy and the most advanced radiation technology available. Inside the hospital, a new acute inpatient rehabilitation program called mPower opened recently to offer whole-person therapies to patients recovering from a range of medical conditions Finally, the hospital recently renewed its commitment to Planetree and the tenets of whole-person healing, not just for patients and families but staff as well, by retooling its comprehensive employee training program. Today all employees complete an intensive training program designed to help them help their organization design and stage memorable experiences for patients and families. Over neary 20 years at MCMC Planetree has spawned at MCMC a true commitment to personalizing, humanizing and demystifying the healthcare experience for patients and families Our mission is to provide the highest quality diagnostic and treatment services for the community, while assuring access to a coordinated continuum of healthcare services. Founded in 1916, Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH) is a not-for-profit, 233-bed, all private-room facility in Mount Kisco, New York serving residents of Northern Westchester, Putnam and Southern Dutchess Counties, and portions of Fairfield County, CT. The hospital has long been recognized as one of the region’s premier healthcare providers, offering state-of-the-art care in a warm and nurturing community environment for all area residents regardless of their health insurance status or ability to pay for medical care. NWH is a member of the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System and is affiliated with Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons and Weill-Cornell Medical College. These relationships offer patients access to a wide range of advanced expertise, research and clinical trials in their own community. NWH is also one of four members of the Stellaris Health Network, which helps achieve operating efficiencies that enable member hospitals to enhance delivery of high quality healthcare services. Northern Westchester Hospital is a member of the Planetree Alliance and is a Designated Planetree Hospital. We are dedicated to patient-centered and family-focused healthcare. NWH promotes healing and wellness by integrating time honored complementary therapies with Western evidence-based scientific medicine: As a not-for-profit hospital, NWH provides many community benefits such as charity care and community outreach for our most at-risk patients: Sharp Coronado Hospital and Health Care Center Sharp Coronado Hospital and Health Care Center is a 204-bed acute-care hospital located in the island community of Coronado, just across the bay from downtown San Diego, and provides medical and surgical care, intensive care, sub-acute and long-term care, rehabilitation therapies and emergency services in a peaceful physical setting. Sharp Coronado has a proud of history of providing convenient, award-winning health care to the community for more than 75 years. As the only Planetree partner hospital in San Diego County, and one of just five hospitals nationwide to receive the Planetree Patient-Centered Hospital Designation, Sharp Coronado promotes holistic healing by focusing on patient empowerment, patient and family education and complementary therapies. Additionally, Sharp Coronado is a part of Sharp HealthCare, which has been recognized for quality excellence with the 2007 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. When patients enter the lobby at Sharp Coronado, they are immediately welcomed into what feels more like a home than a high-tech healing institution. The aroma of fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies, made by volunteers throughout the day, and a player piano create a sensation of warmth and care prior to any medical consultation. This nurturing environment continues throughout the recently remodeled first floor, which reflects Coronado’s beach resort ambiance through elegant artwork, new flooring and soothing colors and textures. The remodel also included the opening of the hospital’s newly renovated Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit and Fluoroscopy Suite, and two healing gardens that provide a quiet place for patients and families to relax and escape. These improvements are part of the hospital’s major upgrade, known as the Coronado Project 2020, to be implemented throughout the entire hospital in three phases over the next 10 years. In keeping with the Planetree model, Sharp Coronado enhances holistic healing with personalized health care while delivering clinical excellence. Complementary therapies, or “spa at the bedside,” include acupuncture, healing touch, massage therapy and clinical aromatherapy. Offered to inpatients, outpatients and the community, these treatments are essential ways of communicating caring that are often omitted from other clinical settings. Pet therapy at Sharp Coronado provides unconditional love, laughter and acceptance for patients. Traveler, the pet therapy dog, has become a companion to many patients that are away from home and helps to calm and put them at ease in new surroundings. The Care Partners Program is an essential development in Sharp Coronado’s mission to provide patient-centered care. The program allows patients’ families to take part in the care process. To help facilitate that care, the hospital offers guest suites for family members for overnight stays, and nearly all patient rooms are private. Patients also have unrestricted access to their medical records, and they are encouraged to learn about their condition and even help chart their own healing course. Sharp Coronado’s focus on patient-centered care in a physical environment that promotes healing through complementary therapies, stimulation of the senses and restful, peaceful surroundings points to improved patient outcomes and satisfaction. In addition to its designation as a Planetree Patient-Centered Hospital, Sharp Coronado was also recently recognized for sustaining the highest level of excellence in patient satisfaction in its Emergency Department by Press Ganey Associates. In sum, everything patients experience at Sharp Coronado Hospital is measured by asking three simple questions: Have we helped patients live their lives with dignity and in optimal health? Heal to the highest degree of functioning possible? Grow in all ways that have meaning for them? Valley View Hospital has a sacred heritage and a reverenced responsibility to heal. We are located in the Rocky Mountains at a place where rivers converge and healing waters bubble out of the earth as mineral hot springs. For hundreds of years and uncounted generations people have come here to be healed. The natives before us called this place “Yampah” which translates into “Big Medicine.” These are the foundations for our community and our hospital: the inspirations for who we are. We are an 80-bed community-owned hospital in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. We serve as the medical hub for a large mountainous area, 30 miles in every direction. A recently-completed 160,000-square foot expansion includes a new Emergency Department, Imaging and Family Birthplace. Construction continues and we anticipate the relocation of our Acute Care to the fourth floor of our new building in the Fall of 2008. The new facility has become an opportunity for Valley View to physically incorporate elements of the Planetree philosophy. The population of the hospital's service area is rapidly growing, driving the growth in new hospital services. In the last year, Valley View has opened a new cardiac catheterization lab and added neurosurgical services. As we serve our community’s healthcare needs, we intentionally create an experience personalized to our mountain community, offering private rooms decorated with hard wood floors, cabinetry and quilts. Necessary medical resources and supplies are concealed by cabinets and panels but accessible for any need. Wireless internet access is available in the hospital for patients and families. Our Connie Delaney library empowers each guest with the information they need as they become partners in healthcare. Our best in class dining services department provides room service menus allowing patients and family members to customize their own meals. Massages are offered and available at the patient’s request. Family rooms complete with cozy fireplaces, breathtaking views and the finest in furniture appointments allow a comforting atmosphere for families to draw together, talk or pray. A family kitchen and dining room invite families and patients to gather for home cooked meals. We brew Starbucks coffee in our Mountain Brew Café where patients, families and employees can personalize their own beverages and relax in the lobby with a fireplace, music and special lighting emulating the Colorado night sky. We are blessed to be in this great place where healing predates us all. Those who come here are not here by chance but feel an inner calling to be here, commissioned to perform a great work. Valley View Hospital stands firmly on the shoulders of those who have gone before us. We are committed to our mission: To be the leader of excellence in personalized care and healing. As we move forward toward our vision: The destination of choice for all who aspire to heal and be healed. |
