Cancer Treatment Centers of America® at Midwestern Regional Medical Center Receives HealthGrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award

CTCA takes the patient experience to an even higher level with the launch of Patient Empowered Care(SM)

ZION, Ill., Aug. 18, /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA) at Midwestern Regional Medical Center (Midwestern) announced today that it has received the 2010/2011 HealthGrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award™ -- one of only 14 recipients in Illinois to receive the prestigious award, and one of only six to be ranked in the top five percent.

As the hospital celebrates this recognition, CTCA takes its patient experience to an even higher level with the official launch of Patient Empowered Care(SM), the latest evolution of its care model providing cancer patients and their families with fully integrated cancer treatment.  This advancement in the treatment delivery process offers patients an average of two to three hours with a dedicated team of specialized oncology physicians and clinicians.

HealthGrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award

The HealthGrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award is based on an analysis of patient surveys from 3,775 hospitals across the country by HealthGrades, a leading independent healthcare ratings organization.  Hospitals ranked in the top 10 percent in the nation earned the HealthGrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award™.  CTCA at Midwestern is one of only 69 hospitals in the nation to achieve the distinction of being in the top five percent.

Under a program administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, surveys were sent to patients within 48 hours after their discharge. The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey, or HCAHPS, data was collected between July 2008 and June 2009.

"We are honored to receive the HealthGrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award," says Anne Meisner, President and CEO of CTCA at Midwestern. "Our team of world class cancer experts works tirelessly to exceed the expectations of our patients and their families by delivering the Mother Standard® of care, offering the latest medical treatment options provided by a multidisciplinary team of cancer experts who strive in every interaction to deliver unparalleled service," she adds.

Survey questions fell into the following 10 categories:

1. Overall rating: How do patients rate the hospital overall?
2. Recommendation to family/friends: Would patients recommend the hospital to friends and family?
3. Communication with doctors: How often did doctors communicate well with patients?
4. Communication with nurses: How often did nurses communicate well with patients?
5. Responsiveness of hospital staff: How often did patients receive help quickly from hospital staff?
6. Pain management: How often was patients' pain well controlled?
7. Communication about medicines: How often did staff explain medicines before giving them to patients?
8. Discharge information: Were patients given information about what to do during their recovery at home? (This question was the only yes/no measure.)
9. Cleanliness: How often were the patients' rooms and bathrooms kept clean?
10. Quietness: How often was the area around patients' rooms kept quiet at night?

The analysis of the HCAHPS surveys by HealthGrades  found that CTCA at Midwestern outperformed the national average in all 10 categories.  For example, 87 percent of patients surveyed gave CTCA at Midwestern an overall rating of a 9 or a 10 (10 being the highest possible) compared to a 66 percent average for all reporting hospitals in the U.S.  An overwhelming 92 percent of patients surveyed reported that they would definitely recommend CTCA at Midwestern to their families and friends compared to a 68 percent average for all reporting hospitals in the U.S.  CTCA at Midwestern scored above national averages in all survey categories.

"There are a select group of hospitals that have made a top-to-bottom commitment to providing their patients with an outstanding patient experience as part of their overall commitment to quality," said Rick May, MD, a HealthGrades vice president. "Members of their community should take pride in knowing that, should they need it, there's a hospital in their area that puts patients first," he adds.  Cancer patients travel from all 50 states to receive treatment at CTCA at Midwestern.

Patient Empowered Care(SM)

With a culture of continuous improvement, CTCA at Midwestern launched its new fully integrated cancer treatment model, Patient Empowered Care(SM), which provides patients with a seamless experience during every visit with a fully focused core Empowerment Team(SM) (including a medical oncologist, naturopathic oncology provider, registered dietitian, nurse care manager, clinic nurse, and others dedicated to helping them fight their specific cancer).  All team members come to the patient in one comfortable room, one right after another, for a focused and uninterrupted visit that ensures the entire Empowerment Team and the patient are on the same page throughout treatment. Patients are automatically scheduled with their entire team for greater convenience and more proactive attention.

According to Edgar D. Staren, M.D., PhD, MBA, Senior Vice President for Clinical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer at CTCA, Patient Empowered Care is grounded in the importance of health literacy – essentially giving patients more time and greater access to all clinical team members for more responsive, personalized care, which ultimately leads to a greater understanding of their condition, options, and plan for treatment.

"Time is one element, but even more important are the value and quality of the communications and interactions within the amount of time that patients spend with their care team," Staren said.

In a survey of CTCA patients who participated in the original pilot program for Patient Empowered Care, 86.7 percent of patients preferred the new team approach to the old because they received plenty of time with their doctor and care team. Additionally, 89 percent of patients felt that their medical provider worked together as a team and provided more coordinated care as compared to a previous visit for treatment.  Finally 99.1 percent of patients felt they received the information necessary to fully understand their medical condition, and 98.8 percent of patients felt they better understood their treatment.

CTCA has provided innovative cancer treatment for almost 30 years with a fully integrated model of cancer care that focuses on what cancer patients value most. This translates into a merging of the conventional clinical treatments and technologies for fighting cancer (such as surgery, radiation and chemotherapy), along with scientifically supported complementary therapies (such as nutrition, naturopathic medicine, mind-body medicine, oncology rehabilitation, pain management, and spiritual support, and others), which help mitigate side effects of treatment and maintain the immune system to improve each patient's quality of life.

For more information on Patient Empowered Care, visit http://www.cancercenter.com/patient-empowered-care.cfm.

About Cancer Treatment Centers of America

Founded in 1988, Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) is a network of cancer treatment hospitals and community oncology programs in Illinois, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Washington – with a future location in Atlanta, Georgia.  CTCA provides a comprehensive, patient-centered treatment model that fully integrates conventional, state-of-the-art medical treatments with scientifically-supported complementary therapies such as nutrition, naturopathic medicine, psychological counseling, physical therapy and spiritual support to meet the special, whole-person needs of cancer patients with complex and advanced-stage disease.  CTCA encourages patients and their families to participate in treatment decisions through its Patient Empowerment Medicine(SM) model.  For more information about Cancer Treatment Centers of America, go to cancercenter.com.

SOURCE Cancer Treatment Centers of America