City of Hope has received the 2010 Press Ganey Summit Award for Inpatient Care in recognition of high patient satisfaction over several years.

City of Hope is one of 36 facilities nationwide, and the only one in Southern California, to receive the award for inpatient care. This is the second straight year the institution has received the award.

“City of Hope has always been dedicated to delivering outstanding patient care, and this recognition by our patients and Press Ganey is testament to our superlative team of caregivers,” said Alexandra M. Levine, M.D., M.A.C.P., chief medical officer. “From physicians and nurses to support services and administrative staff, our faculty and staff make patients their first priority, and we continually strive to improve upon our achievements.”

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. The Summit Award is given to hospitals with patient satisfaction scores in the 95th percentile for three consecutive years.

Press Ganey currently partners with more than 10,000 health-care facilities — including more than 40 percent of U.S. hospitals — to measure and improve the quality of their care.

“City of Hope’s dedication to patient care is evident with its interdisciplinary team approach and level of support from nursing, physicians and ancillary services,” said Tricia Kassab, R.N., M.S., vice president of quality and patient safety.

Press Ganey specifically cited City of Hope initiatives that improved the patient care experience in hematology and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The organization noted that City of Hope case managers worked closely with patients and family members to better prepare patients for discharge from the hospital. Additionally, City of Hope integrated findings from studies by its own Division of Nursing Research and Education into clinical practice.

For more information on the Summit Awards, visit www.pressganey.com/pressganeyawards and select “Summit Award” from the left-hand menu.