For an unprecedented 10th year in a row, Mount Desert Island Hospital and Health Centers have been awarded the Best Overall Performer Award by Avatar International and is the only facility in the nation to earn the recognition for 10 consecutive years.
“Quality is something that our entire team embraces in every aspect of our delivery of health care,” said MDI Hospital President/CEO Arthur J. Blank. “The fact that MDI Hospital is the only facility to earn this distinction for 10 years points directly to our team’s long-term commitment to provide the kinds of care the community needs at the highest levels of quality possible.”
In addition to the Overall Best Performer, MDI Hospital also received the 2011 Exceeding Patient Expectations Award.
MDI Hospital’s continuously high patient satisfaction is in part attributable to a number of innovative initiatives that focus on improved communication and teamwork, education, safety, and efficiency, Blank said. Programs such as the Patient Centered Medical Home, disease prevention outreach, behavioral health integration, advanced continuing education and others all contribute to overall excellence of care.
For example, MDI Hospital was recently selected as the only recipient in Maine to be awarded a $450,000 grant from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to extend outreach programs to diabetic and pre-diabetic patients and connect them with resources to manage and prevent the debilitating effects of the illness.
Physicians, nurses, and other members of MDI Hospital’s care teams are also advancing their medical education through a ground-breaking collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine that brings the latest science from academic medicine to rural practice.
“Health care delivery is evolving and we, as an organization, are adapting to the changing needs of our patients through innovation that is tailored to the communities we serve,” Blank said. “In many cases, we serve as a model for other communities and organizations to emulate in their own advancement efforts.”
Avatar International is an industry leader in health care quality improvement services. The Best Overall Performer Award is based on the results of the hospital’s 2011 patient surveys. The national award is presented to the top 5 percent of facilities in Avatar’s national database of more than 350 hospitals. The award recognizes high-performing facilities that demonstrate consistency of experiences by patients throughout the organization for care.
MDI Hospital has won a total of 24 Avatar awards in the past 10 years representing exceptional overall performance, meeting and exceeding patient expectations, improved outpatient services, innovative communications, patient loyalty, and emergency services.