Article written by Dan Breen and was published in the Northwest Iowa Review on December 20, 2008.

Sioux Center Hospital wins national award

Customer satisfaction has resulted in a national award for Sioux Center Community Hospital & Health Center.

The Sioux Center health care facility was awarded a 2008 Compass Award from the Press Ganey Associates organization for the restructuring and improvements made to its Ambulatory Care Unit.

The Ambulatory Care Unit also is known as the same-day surgery unit, meaning none of the surgeries in the unit require an overnight stay in the hospital.

"It's a national award, so it's a huge award. You're competing with hospitals all over the nation," said Marilyn Vermeer, quality officer at the the Sioux Center Community Hospital.

Hospital officials were invited to a ceremony at the Press Ganey headquarters in Grapevine, TX, to accept the award earlier this month.

There were 1,023 eligible hospitals in the category and three winners.

Sioux Center Community Hospital formed a focus group in December 2006 to address specific issues with the ambulatory unit and how they could be improved.

"We started looking at what it might look like as a patient," Vermeer said. "When we looked at it in a patient's eyes, we knew what the problem was. There was not a smooth flow. They didn't have the privacy and comfort. They were mixed in with all the other medical and surgical patients. There looked like a lot of busyness and activity going on."

Extensive remodeling began to take shape in January and February. The remodeling was complete by June.

The ambulatory unit was separated from the other medical patients, private bays were installed and a specialized staff also was hired to exclusively handle the same-day surgery needs.

"We set it up so everything needed for patient care is right there," Vermeer said.

Press Ganey partners with more than 7,000 health care facilities - including more than 40 percent of U.S. hospitals - to measure and improve the quality of care and bottom line costs.

The results are based on patient surveys. The Compass Award in particular recognizes facilities that have shown the most improvement during the course of two years in overall patient and resident satisfaction.

The wider Sioux Center health community also was given a Compass Award two years ago for its improvement in long-term care with the construction of the Royale Meadows retirement facility.

Vermeer said the award is a testament to the kind of health-care workers and the commitment to improving overall care at Sioux Center Community Hospital.

"It's all about how you treat people," she said. "You don't have to have the fanciest or the newest building. You can do it if you just care about your patients."

	Home Family Medicine Clinics Job Openings Medical Team News Patient Comments Services Quality and Pricing Contact Us Email Page Printer Friendly	Sioux Center Hospital wins national award
		Article written by Dan Breen and was published in the Northwest Iowa Review on December 20, 2008. Sioux Center Hospital wins national award Customer satisfaction has resulted in a national award for Sioux Center Community Hospital & Health Center. The Sioux Center health care facility was awarded a 2008 Compass Award from the Press Ganey Associates organization for the restructuring and improvements made to its Ambulatory Care Unit. The Ambulatory Care Unit also is known as the same-day surgery unit, meaning none of the surgeries in the unit require an overnight stay in the hospital. "It's a national award, so it's a huge award. You're competing with hospitals all over the nation," said Marilyn Vermeer, quality officer at the the Sioux Center Community Hospital. Hospital officials were invited to a ceremony at the Press Ganey headquarters in Grapevine, TX, to accept the award earlier this month. There were 1,023 eligible hospitals in the category and three winners. Sioux Center Community Hospital formed a focus group in December 2006 to address specific issues with the ambulatory unit and how they could be improved. "We started looking at what it might look like as a patient," Vermeer said. "When we looked at it in a patient's eyes, we knew what the problem was. There was not a smooth flow. They didn't have the privacy and comfort. They were mixed in with all the other medical and surgical patients. There looked like a lot of busyness and activity going on." Extensive remodeling began to take shape in January and February. The remodeling was complete by June. The ambulatory unit was separated from the other medical patients, private bays were installed and a specialized staff also was hired to exclusively handle the same-day surgery needs. "We set it up so everything needed for patient care is right there," Vermeer said. Press Ganey partners with more than 7,000 health care facilities - including more than 40 percent of U.S. hospitals - to measure and improve the quality of care and bottom line costs. The results are based on patient surveys. The Compass Award in particular recognizes facilities that have shown the most improvement during the course of two years in overall patient and resident satisfaction. The wider Sioux Center health community also was given a Compass Award two years ago for its improvement in long-term care with the construction of the Royale Meadows retirement facility. Vermeer said the award is a testament to the kind of health-care workers and the commitment to improving overall care at Sioux Center Community Hospital. "It's all about how you treat people," she said. "You don't have to have the fanciest or the newest building. You can do it if you just care about your patients."
		Sioux Center Community Hospital & Health Center/Avera Health 605 South Main Ave. ~ Sioux Center, IA 51250-1398 Phone: 712-722-1271 ~ Fax: 712-722-0787 Your privacy is important to us. Read our Privacy Notice.