By Bill Hendrick
Hospitals in Buckhead and Sandy Springs have received high patient satisfaction rankings, with Piedmont Hospital again garnering the top spot in the area, according to a survey by the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAPS).
Asked to rate the overall quality of care during their hospital stay on a scale of zero to 10, with zero being the worst and 10 the best, 77 percent of Piedmont’s patients responded with a nine or 10, which is 13 percent higher than the national and state averages of 64 percent.
Northside Hospital in Sandy Springs received one of the top two ratings from 73 percent of patients, and 72 percent of St. Joseph Hospital’s patients were equally satisfied, according to the annual survey.
“We are thrilled with this recent data from HCAHPS,” said Robert Maynard, the president and chief executive officer of Piedmont Hospital. “These results validate that our staff is living the Piedmont promise. Our promise to the community is to provide the perfect balance between health and care.”
HCAPS is a standardized survey that reflects patients’ perspective on hospital care, and the data are posted four times a year on the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Hospital Compare Web site at www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov.
The latest results are for July 2007 to June 2008.