The UC Davis Medical Center (UCDMC) at 2315 Stockton Blvd. in Sacramento received a Consumer Choice Award in October for the 14th consecutive time.
The medical center, a teaching, research and clinical practice hospital, is nationally ranked as one of the top 50 hospitals in the US for cancer research and pediatrics, as well as high-performing in other specialities.
The Consumer Choice Award, provided by the National Research Corporation (NRC), recognizes exceptional healthcare provided by a wellness facility in 300 different regions. The recipient was selected based on a survey issued from Sept. 1, 2011 to Aug. 30, 2012. American consumers in 250,000 households and 3,200 hospitals rated local healthcare facilities based on qualities such as service and equipment.
“We are constantly striving to improve and ensure that we deliver the highest quality care available,” said UC Davis Health System Marketing and Research Manager Lisa Montell in an email. “Many of our improvement initiatives are aimed at improving the quality of communication between patient and provider and also between the members of a patient’s care team.”
Montell said over the past year, they’ve implemented standardized bedside reporting.
“[Standardized bedside reporting involves] the incoming and outgoing nurses meet[ing] at the patient’s bedside at shift changes to discuss the patient’s status, care and needs — including the patient in the discussion and ensuring a smooth transition from one shift to another,” she said.
Another example of expanding their services includes open communication between the staff.
“We’ve also instituted ‘joint rounding’ on several of our units — meaning that the doctors, nurses and other staff involved in a patient’s care, round together to review patient cases, ensuring that all team members hear and impart the same information,” she said.
According to the survey, the medical center received the highest ratings in categories such as best overall quality, image and reputation, technology and equipment, service, as well as patient safety out of 20 other facilities in the Sacramento area.
“This recognition is an important indicator of the trust our patients and the greater Sacramento community place in us,” said UC Davis Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Ann Madden Rice.
In addition to winning the award, the UCDMC staff will continue bettering their work methods to further assist current and future healthcare consumers.
“We’re committed to continuous quality improvement. We have a newly formed, multi-disciplinary Patient Experience Steering Committee chaired by Vincent Johnson, the hospital’s chief operating officer,” Montell said. “This committee is charged with identifying, prioritizing and overseeing all such quality improvement initiatives.”
Members of the health center stated that they are grateful for the
acknowledgment and commend the staff for their attentiveness.
“Our medical teams and their staff work very hard every day on behalf of the health and wellness of their patients. Their efforts continue to make UC Davis a leader in patient care,” Montell said. “We’re really gratified by the external recognition of their talents and commitment that come with this Consumer Choice Award.”
WENDY CHAO can be reached at city@theaggie.org.
