Delnor and Griffin Hospitals Named Designated Planetree Patient-Centered Hospitals
Planetree, Inc. has announced that Griffin Hospital (Derby, Conn.) and Delnor Hospital (Geneva, Ill.) have been officially named Designated Planetree Patient-Centered Hospitals. Planetree's Patient-Centered Hospital Designation Program is the only formal designation program that recognizes individual hospitals' achievement and innovation in fostering an organizational culture that prioritizes patient comfort, dignity, empowerment and well-being. Designated hospitals are also recognized by The Joint Commission on its Quality Check website, a resource created to help consumers make informed decisions about where to go for their healthcare.
Derby, CT (PRWEB) November 5, 2008
Planetree, Inc. has announced that Griffin Hospital (Derby, Conn.) and Delnor Hospital (Geneva, Ill.) have been officially named Designated Planetree Patient-Centered Hospitals. The announcement was made this week among 1,100 participants of Planetree's annual conference and 30th anniversary celebration in Chicago. Planetree is an internationally-recognized not-for-profit organization that partners with healthcare providers around the globe to advance patient-centered approaches to care. With its model of patient-centered care being implemented in more than 140 acute care hospitals, continuing care facilities, outpatient clinics and consumer health libraries across North America and abroad, Planetree is demonstrating that patient-centered care is not only an empowering philosophy, but a viable, vital and cost-effective model of care.
Planetree's Patient-Centered Hospital Designation Program is the only formal designation program that recognizes individual hospitals' achievement and innovation in fostering an organizational culture that prioritizes patient comfort, dignity, empowerment and well-being. Designated hospitals are also recognized by The Joint Commission on its Quality Check website, a resource created to help consumers make informed decisions about where to go for their healthcare.
The Patient-Centered Hospital Designation Program was launched in 2007, and since that time seven hospitals have achieved the designation. All designation decisions are made by an independent committee whose membership includes individuals with extensive experience with such organizations as the American Hospital Association, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, and The Joint Commission, among others. Designation decisions are made on a blinded basis and are based on a review of policies and practices in place at the hospital, as demonstrated by written documentation and verified by patient, family and staff focus group feedback.
"Designation distinguishes hospitals excelling at delivering patient-centered care, and it provides a more consistent understanding among consumers as well as the healthcare industry of what it means to be a patient-centered hospital," said Planetree President Susan Frampton, PhD. Frampton has co-authored the newly released book, Putting Patients First, Second Edition, and has recently been appointed to the Joint Commission's Expert Advisory Panel to guide the process of drafting culturally competent patient-centered care standards for the nation's hospitals.
Among the key practices in place in some form at every Designated Planetree Patient-Centered Hospital are patient-directed visiting, processes for proactively sharing medical information with patients, and ongoing opportunities for patient and family involvement in the care process. Other criteria include that staff participate in training to sensitize them to the patient experience, and that the hospital's physical environment is a healing one engaging all the senses. The designated sites also meet or exceed national performance benchmarks for patient satisfaction and quality. For more information about designation, visit http://www. planetree. org/Services/designation. html (http://www. planetree. org/Services/designation. html).
About Planetree:
Founded in 1978 by a San Francisco patient who endured a traumatic hospitalization, Planetree has been at the forefront of the effort to personalize, humanize and demystify the healthcare system for three decades. Today, the Planetree membership network is a global community of more than 140 acute care hospitals, continuing care facilities, and outpatient clinics, each at various phases of the journey to transform their healthcare by considering every aspect of the healthcare experience from the perspective of their patients, and reconnecting staff to their passion for caring for others. A complete list of Planetree hospitals as well as the new Patient-Centered Care Improvement Guide is available to download at www. planetree. org.
###
