St. Vincent Carmel Emergency Department Recognized as an Emergency Center of Excellence by Emergency Excellence

CARMEL, IN, August 29, 2010 (Press-News.org) St.Vincent Carmel Hospital's Emergency Department (ED) has received the Emergency Center of Excellence award from Emergency Excellence, an organization specializing in the motivation and recognition of outstanding emergency department performance nationwide. St.Vincent Carmel Hospital is the only ED in the state and second in the nation to receive the honor.

The Emergency Center of Excellence award is given to emergency departments that embody standards of excellence defined by a compilation of 100 performance indicators categorized by seven Pillars of Excellence: Safety, Satisfaction, Space, Staff, Support, Systems and Solvency. Emergency Excellence collects benchmark data and surveys physicians, nurses, hospital staff, medical staff and administrators. Emergency Excellence is the sole sanctioning body for emergency department excellence awards and has previously extended the honor to only one other hospital.

"I am exceedingly proud of our Emergency Department," said Lynne Bunch, RN, nursing director of the St.Vincent Carmel Hospital Emergency Department. "By collaborating with our emergency medicine physicians, we have been dedicated to blending quality with convenience, and now we are being recognized for our achievements. Our success is very dependent on the extremely talented, caring medical staff and clinical professionals who care for our patients, as well as the dedicated administration who supports our ED team."

St.Vincent Carmel Hospital's full-service Emergency Department sees approximately 17,000 patients annually. While the national average of time spent in the ED continues to rise, St.Vincent Carmel connects patients to board-certified emergency physicians in an exceptional average of 17 minutes. According to the 2010 Press Ganey survey of patients' likelihood of recommendation, the Hamilton County-based hospital's patient satisfaction is in the 99th percentile, which is 11 percent higher than the national average of 84 percent.

"We appreciate our relationship with the St.Vincent Carmel Emergency Department, and are honored to jointly serve in caring for our community and surrounding counties," said Chief Keith Smith of the Carmel Fire Department. "As a partner of the St.Vincent Carmel Emergency Department, we will continue to ensure that we are readily available to stabilize and transport ill or injured patients."

"St.Vincent Carmel Hospital's Emergency Department offers a truly outstanding experience for their patients," praised Dr. Mark Reiter, CEO of Emergency Excellence. "Patient satisfaction is superb. Patients have minimal waits and short length of stays. Lab and radiology services are extremely efficient. St.Vincent Carmel has a well trained staff and staff satisfaction is very high. St.Vincent Carmel is doing a fantastic job of providing safe, high-quality and efficient emergency care."

St.Vincent Carmel Hospital is a 128-bed acute care facility, and is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. In April, the faith-based hospital was also recognized as a 2009 100 Top Hospital by Thomson Reuters.

St. Vincent Carmel Hospital
St. Vincent Carmel Hospital is a 128-bed, full-service healthcare ministry serving Hamilton County since 1985. The facility features all-private patient rooms, and offers comprehensive services for area residents and surrounding communities. Some of the services include maternity, emergency, surgical, one of the leading bariatric centers in the country and a newborn intensive care unit (NICU). The faith-based health provider also houses the largest Orthopedic Center in Hamilton County.

Emergency Excellence (EmEx):
Emergency Excellence was founded in 2008 to help hospitals improve performance and recognize excellence in emergency care. EmEx measures emergency department performance through benchmarking, stakeholder surveys, patient callbacks, and other business excellence services. EmEx awards the Emergency Center of Excellence award to top-performing emergency departments. More information about EmEx can be found at http://www.emergencyexcellence.com.

Contact:

Johnny Smith
St.Vincent Health
(317) 538-2209
(317) 338-3550 #8225

EmEx was founded in 2008 to help hospitals improve performance and to recognize excellence in emergency care. EmEx measures emergency department performance through data analysis, benchmarking, stakeholder surveys, and the application of lean operations management principles. EmEx awards the Emergency Center of Excellence designation to top-performing emergency departments. Learn more about EmEx at http://www.emergencyexcellence.com.