Clovis Community Medical Center and Fresno Heart & Surgical Hospital both earned Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award. The recognition puts the two Community Medical Centers’ hospitals in the top 10 percent in the nation for patient experience.

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“We built a hospital designed for comfort and privacy and our staff focuses on delivering truly exceptional care,” said John R. Kass, RN, chief operations officer at Clovis Community. “Locally, we’ve been voted ‘Best Hospital’ three years in a row, so we know our patients are recommending us after their experience here. It’s really nice to have that recognition from a national health ratings agency.”

This is the ninth consecutive year that Fresno Heart & Surgical has received Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award. “This is a testament to a culture of care that puts the patient at the center,” said Chief Nursing Officer Heather Rodriguez, RN. “It also speaks volumes about the collaboration between our physicians and staff.”

Healthgrades recognized 448 hospitals nationwide this year for creating a top patient experience, based on factors such as quiet, clean surroundings, good communication to patients and staff that is warm, friendly and responsive.

In order to identify hospital performance in the area of patient experience, Healthgrades evaluated 3,858 hospitals that submitted at least 100 patient surveys to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, covering admissions from April 2014 to March 2015. Patients are asked to rate their stays as part of the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems, or HCAHPS.

The federal HCAHPS initiative gathers patient responses to 32 survey questions related to physician and nurse communication, speed of responsiveness, hospital cleanliness and noise levels, medication information, pain management and post-discharge care instructions. The survey is designed to collect data so health consumers can make objective and meaningful comparisons among hospitals on issues that are important to patients.

“Consumers are increasingly using patient experience and satisfaction as a measure to both evaluate hospitals and to select where they want to obtain care,” said Evan Marks, Healthgrades chief strategy officer.  “We commend those hospitals that have achieved the Healthgrades 2016 Outstanding Patient Experience Award for delivering superior patient care experiences during their hospital stay.”