Windham Hospital Emergency Department Patients Rate Care Top in the State
WILLIMANTIC, CT, September 23, 2009–Patients of the Jeffrey P. Ossen Emergency Center at Windham Hospital recently rated their emergency care so high that it placed the hospital as one of the top performing in the state and in the top one percent in the nation, according to an independent survey by Press-Ganey. The organization, Press-Ganey Associates, is the healthcare industry's leading independent vendor of satisfaction measurement and improvement services. The rankings compare peer hospitals in the state and across the nation.
“These results are a testament to the unparalleled care provided here at Windham,” said Dick Brvenik, Windham Hospital President & CEO, “our entire emergency department staff should be extremely proud of this achievement. These high customer satisfaction ratings reflect a trend at the hospital overall. We work hard everyday to exceed our patients’ expectations while providing quality and affordable healthcare.” Brvenik said.
The patient experience in the Emergency Department is the result of a wide-ranging effort by the managers and providers to ensure quality across the continuum of care. The physician group that runs the department, The Northeast Emergency Medicine Specialists (NEMS), has instituted a multifaceted approach to servicing patients. Initiatives are in place that ensures that patients interact with a provider as soon as possible upon arrival. The patient, and their family, is treated with respect and the follow up care is similar to that of a private physician.
“Our staff is very highly trained and experts in the field but above all we treat each patient with dignity and respect – as we would want our own families to be treated, said Eugene Winchester, MD, Chief of Staff. “There is a mutual discussion with patients, they are not ‘talked down to’ – they are a partner in their treatment and care.”
Newly renovated and expanded in 2006, The Jeffrey P. Ossen Emergency Center is home to a top-quality paramedic team and a host of skilled emergency medicine practitioners who care for patients using the latest medical technologies.
“Comfort, care, and respect of privacy for the patient and the family are tantamount in our care here,” said Greg Shangold, Emergency Services Medical Director at Windham. Shangold, who is also President-elect of the Connecticut College of Emergency Physicians, explained further the satisfaction of patients at Windham Hospital, “We consistently exceed our patients’ expectations because we are customer service oriented and establish a rapport with them. We address the total needs of the patient and family,” he said.
Dr. Jorge Otero, ED physician, explained his philosophy of welcoming patients to the Windham Hospital emergency center, “We understand everyone’s social situation and their medical condition is just one piece,” Otero said, “we are open to alternative medicine and respect the culture, religion and values of the people who trust us with their care. We don’t stop our care once a patient leaves the ED. We place follow up calls with offers of assistance. We see them through (their injury or illness) as one would expect from a personal doctor.”
Windham Hospital is an acute care hospital that provides affordable and accessible inpatient, ambulatory, emergency, non-emergent, and rehabilitation services for thousands of patients from 19 Eastern Connecticut towns. Its recent integration with Hartford Healthcare builds on a legacy of personalized care, and expands the range of services provided.
Jorge Otero, MD Gene Winchester, MD Greg Shangold, MD
Photo caption: Windham Hospital Emergency room physicians (left to right) Jorge Otero, MD; Eugene Winchester, MD, Chief of Staff; and Dr. Greg Shangold, Medical Director. |