ATLANTA (April 24, 2009) – Three Piedmont Healthcare hospitals ranked in the top three in patient satisfaction results among hospitals within a 50-mile radius of Atlanta according to the recently-released, publicly-reported HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) survey.

In the most recently released data, Piedmont Hospital ranked No. 1 in metro Atlanta, repeating its ranking for the first survey period of October 2006 to June 2007 (released in March 2008). When asked to rate the overall quality of care during their hospital stay on a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 is the worst and 10 is the best, 77 percent of Piedmont Hospital patients responded with a nine or 10, which is 13 percent higher than the national and state average of 64 percent. Piedmont Mountainside Hospital, a 42-bed community hospital in Jasper, ranked second in patient satisfaction with 74 percent of patients reporting favorable marks; and Piedmont Fayette Hospital, a 143-bed acute-care community hospital in Fayetteville, tied for third with 73 percent of patients scoring a nine or 10 for overall satisfaction on the survey.

“We are extremely proud of the results of this survey,” said R. Timothy Stack, president and CEO of Piedmont Healthcare. “This data validates that staff at our hospitals are not only providing world-class healthcare, but are doing so with respect and care for our patients, living the Piedmont Promise.”

HCAHPS is a standardized survey that reflects a patient’s perspective of hospital care, and data is posted quarterly on the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare website at www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov. The recently-released local HCAHPS results are from July 2007 to June 2008, and show data for hospitals across the country. This particular reporting period is the first for which hospitals could not opt out.

The HCAHPS survey was created with three primary goals. First, it was designed to produce data about patients’ perspectives of care that allows comparisons of hospitals on topics important to consumers. Second, public reporting of the survey results creates new incentives for hospitals to improve quality of care. Third, public reporting serves to enhance public accountability in healthcare by increasing transparency of the quality of hospital care provided in return for the public investment.

The survey asks a random sample of patients from over 2,500 U.S. hospitals 27 questions about their hospital experience, including 18 items about key aspects of the hospital experience including communication with nurses and doctors, the responsiveness of hospital staff, cleanliness and quietness of hospital environment, pain management, communication about medicines, discharge information, overall rating of hospital and recommendation of hospital.

“We are gratified to know that patients are happy with the care they are receiving at our hospitals, especially knowing they have many choices for healthcare in greater Atlanta,” said Stack. “While this is only one snapshot of patient ratings, we consistently work to improve our quality of care and are proud of how Piedmont compares to others."