West Chester Hospital Recognized as an Emergency Center of Excellence

BETHLEHEM, PA, December 29, 2011 (Press-News.org) West Chester Hospital (part of UC Health) in West Chester, OH, has been verified as an Emergency Center of ExcellenceTM by Emergency Excellence, an organization specializing in emergency department benchmarking. Emergency Excellence developed the award in response to the 2006 Institute of Medicine's call for emergency department improvement and to motivate emergency care providers to achieve a higher standard of quality.

Eligibility for the Emergency Center of Excellence designation is based on the results of over 100 key performance indicators linked to 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. The Emergency Center of Excellence award is verified after an on-site assessment.

West Chester Hospital sees nearly 28,000 patients a year in its emergency department. West Chester utilizes a unique patient flow process that virtually eliminates the use of the waiting room. On average, patients are placed into an emergency department room within 10 minutes of arrival and see a physician within 14 minutes of arrival. 100% of its emergency physicians are board certified. "West Chester Hospital's emergency department does a fantastic job," said Dr. Mark Reiter, CEO of Emergency Excellence. "Physician-nurse relationships are extremely good, which translates into excellent patient care. Patients move through the ED quickly with minimal waiting time. The West Chester ED's overall performance is best-in-class."

According to Kathy Lebowitz RN, Director of the Emergency Department at West Chester Hospital, "our ED team is dedicated to providing our patients with the highest quality care, in a timely manner. This award recognizes the efforts of our physicians, nurses, staff, and leadership team on behalf of our patients."

About West Chester Hospital:

West Chester Hospital is a 160-bed hospital in West Chester, Ohio. Utilizing the very latest in medical technology and drawing upon the University of Cincinnati's nearly 200 years of medical expertise, West Chester Hospital provides discovery-driven care in a pleasant, healing environment. The hospital is conveniently located and easily accessible from Interstate 75 at Tylersville Road. Services include a full-service emergency department, inpatient and outpatient surgical services, and inpatient and outpatient diagnostic and treatment services.




About Emergency Excellence:

Emergency Excellence was founded in 2008 to help hospitals improve performance and recognize excellence in emergency care. Emergency Excellence provides a variety of emergency department performance improvement services including benchmarking, interactive dashboards, patient callbacks, and consulting. Emergency Excellence awards the Emergency Center of Excellence award to top-performing emergency departments. More information about Emergency Excellence can be found at http://www.emergencyexcellence.com.