PMC Gets Results Of Patient Surveys

How much of a difference does a new hospital make? Portneuf Medical Center said survey results show people have really changed their opinion on going to the hospital.

Just a few months ago, patient satisfaction at PMC was low, well under the averages of hospitals nationwide, but PMC has turned it around and is getting high marks from patients.

The past few months have brought big changes to PMC.

“We’ve made tremendous progress in the last few months we’ve been in the new hospital, and you can listen to me, I suppose, but I think the more legitimate thing to listen to would be satisfaction surveys from our patients,? PMC President and CEO Norm Stephens said.

Stephens is so excited he held a news conference Wednesday about the results.

“We’ve moved from being in the 40th or 50th percentile, compared to national averages, to being roughly the 75th or the 80th percentile,? Stephens said.

The hospital’s patient satisfaction champion is Gail Mikefell.

?Our patient satisfaction scores are on the rise, and we feel very good about that because we’ve spent a lot of time and effort trying to improve the patients perspective of their experience at Portneuf,? Mikefell said.

Being in a brand new building can make a big difference for patients.

“Certainly the environments that our patients are in make a big difference, when you have a big room that’s not crowded or all the beautiful appointments,? Mikefell said.

But she said people shouldn’t overestimate the effect of having a new space. She said what really matters to patients’ is how they’re treated.

“It’s about their relationship with the people that they come in contact with. We have spent a lot of time trying to listen to what our patients want, and that’s why we built our hospital,? Mikefell said.