CORNING – CHI Health Mercy Corning has been recognized by National Rural Health Association (NRHA) for being a Top 20 Best Practices for Patient Satisfaction hospital. This designation means that Mercy Corning is in the top 20 for all critical access hospitals nationwide for best practices for patient satisfaction. Data as of April 2017, indicates there are 1,332 critical access hospitals (CAH) in the United States. CHI Health will receive the award during NRHA’s Critical Access Hospitals Conference in September.
“Our core values of reverence, integrity, compassion and excellence drive the work we do for each patient. Our staff members strive to put forth personal and professional best,” said Lisa Wolfe, Mercy Corning president. “Patients are our priority in everything we do. Each staff member, from the nurse at the bedside to the housekeeping and dietary staff, prepare to provide the best for each patient we are privileged to serve.”
In an era of health care reform, providers will face tremendous pressures and for critical access hospitals, the pressures are often exacerbated. Specifically, given their cost based reimbursement, CAH’s will be placed under a magnifying glass by public and private payers. Compounding this complex and challenging environment, policymakers will operate under the assumption that if one CAH can achieve excellence in the form of high quality, efficiency, safety and satisfaction, then all CAH’s can be held to this same lofty standard.
“Every CAH in the nation is working toward this goal each and every day, and the bar gets higher every year to achieve this type of success,” Wolfe said. “We are the only hospital in southwest Iowa to receive this designation for best practices in patient satisfaction. Our staff works hard daily to meet these standards. As a nonprofit hospital receiving no tax dollars to support our hospital, our diligence in our work is what sets us apart in providing care.”
NRHA is a national nonprofit membership organization with more than 20,000 members. The association’s mission is to provider leadership on rural health issues. NRHA membership consist of a diverse collection of individuals and organizations; all of whom share the common bond of an interest in rural health.