Press Ganey Associates Inc. has honored City of Hope with its 2009 Summit Award for Inpatient Care in recognition of high patient satisfaction over several years.

City of Hope is one of 74 facilities nationwide, and the only one in Southern California, to receive the award. The center ranked in the top 1 percent of hospitals in the nation in inpatient satisfaction.

Hospital staff such as Mildred Ortiz, left, and Dolly Golez play a key role in inpatient satisfaction. (Photo by p.cunningham)

“We are proud partners of City of Hope, which continues to maintain a high level of patient satisfaction,” said Richard B. Siegrist Jr., president and chief executive officer of Press Ganey, a health-care survey, evaluation and consultation firm. “City of Hope’s efforts benefit Southern California and lead to improved delivery of health care.”

The Summit Award is given to hospitals with patient satisfaction scores in the 95th percentile for three consecutive years. Press Ganey surveys inpatients after discharge about a variety of topics related to their stay, including general satisfaction with the hospital’s services, speediness of admission, room cleanliness and staff courtesy.

Scores are then compiled, analyzed and compared with those from other facilities of similar size. Press Ganey currently partners with more than 10,000 health-care facilities — including over 40 percent of U.S. hospitals — to measure and improve the quality of their care.

“This prestigious honor is the result of the dedication and commitment of City of Hope physicians, nurses and staff who consistently demonstrate their dedication to our mission, our patients and their families,” said Alexandra M. Levine, M.D., chief medical officer. “We are proud to be recognized with this prestigious accolade and are committed to continue improving our quality of care.”

City of Hope’s inpatient satisfaction initiatives include continual leadership involvement to improve quality of care and a vigorous hiring and training process for patient care positions. City of Hope also provides inpatients and their caregivers a coordinated, interdisciplinary plan of care with clearly defined goals at least once a day.

Additional information on the Press Ganey Summit Award is available at www.pressganey.com.