For immediate release: June 6. 2012

Contact: Gary Kimsey, 970.495.7427, glk@pvhs.org

MCR and PVH awarded for exceeding patient expectations

For the fifth consecutive year, Medical Center of the Rockies has been named the nation's best in providing care beyond patient expectations.

The Overall Best Performer Award was one of five honors the Loveland hospital received May 31 from Avatar International at its annual conference in Orlando, Fla.

Avatar is the nation's leading private company that surveys former patients to determine their level of satisfaction with care at more than 500 hospitals in the U.S. Avatar presented awards based on the results of patient surveys for care received in 2011.

Poudre Valley Hospital received an award for exceeding patient expectations, the 10th year in a row the Fort Collins hospital received with the designation.

"This is a remarkable achievement," said Kevin Unger, the hospital's president and CEO. "It shows the strong commitment that our staff has in offering high-quality patient care."

The Overall Best Performer Award is given to the top facilities in Avatar's national database with the highest overall combined satisfaction score for inpatient, outpatient, emergency department, and ambulatory care. A hospital that receives the award ranks in the top 5 percent of hospitals for patient satisfaction excellence, as tracked by Avatar.

"The Overall Best Performer Award that MCR received in each of the last five years shows that we have continued to offer excellence in patient care since the hospital opened in 2007," said George Hayes, MCR president and CEO. "I am so proud of what our employees do each day to provide an outstanding care experience for our patients and families. This award once again recognizes them for their tremendous accomplishments.

David Medvedeff, Avatar CEO, said hospitals that received Avatar awards this year have continued to go above and beyond to exceed its patients' expectations. "By winning these awards, the hospitals clearly demonstrate how much employees value the patient experience and how they are driven to provide exemplary service," he said.
MCR received the following four awards in addition to the Overall Best Performer:

• Exceeding Patient Expectations.

• Best performer in Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS), a national, standardized publicly reported survey of patients' perspectives of hospital care.

• Willing to Recommend, an HCAHPS award which signifies that former MCR patients say they will recommend the hospital to other community members.

• Honorable mention for innovation.

--UCH--