Mercy Regional Medical Center announced last week that it has achieved the Healthgrades 2015 Outstanding Patient Experience Award. Mercy was identified as providing outstanding performance in the delivery of a positive experience for patients during their hospital stay, according to Healthgrades, the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals.

Healthgrades evaluated the 3,575 hospitals that submitted patient surveys to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), covering admissions from January – December 2013 in order to identify hospital performance in this area.

“An outstanding experience for our patients involves not only safe, reliable care and optimal outcomes, but much more than that,” said Tom Gessel, Mercy’s CEO. “Our staff and providers strive to offer compassionate care for patients and a supportive environment for families. Effective and open communication is critical for us to be good partners in care.”

Healthgrades evaluated performance by applying a scoring methodology to 10 patient experience measures, using data collected from a 27-question survey of the hospital’s patients. The survey questions focus on patients’ perspectives of their care in the hospital. Question topics range from cleanliness and noise levels in patient rooms to factors such as pain management and responsiveness to patients’ needs. The measures also include whether a patient would recommend the hospital to friends or family.

In order to be recognized by Healthgrades, hospitals must meet eligibility requirements for consideration, including a minimum number of survey responses and clinical performance thresholds. Nationally, 3,005 hospitals met those requirements, with 452 hospitals outperforming their peers, based on patient responses. Mercy’s performance places it among the top 15 percent of hospitals in the nation, according to Healthgrades.

For more information about Healthgrades, to download a full copy of the report or to get information about hospital and physician quality, visit www.Healthgrades.com/quality.