Alton Memorial Named Best in Value by National Survey

Hospital Among Top 10 in Illinois and First in Madison County

Alton Memorial Hospital is recognized with a 2009-2010 Hospital Value Index: Best in Value Award by a Data Advantage LLC study, the nation's leader in measuring health care value.

Alton Memorial ranked among the top tier of all hospitals nationwide, achieving high marks in quality, affordability, efficiency and patient satisfaction.

"Our number one priority is quality," says Dave Braasch, president, Alton Memorial. "We believe that we have been very responsive to community need and that we have caring and compassionate employees. It's nice to see that we have been able to balance quality, service and costs for our patients. And it is really important that the people we care for believe that, too. Our physicians, nurses and staff strive each day to make our hospital the leader in quality care, and this award stands as a testament to their dedication and achievement of their goals."

Using national data, Alton Memorial ranks in the Top 10 among all hospitals in Illinois and is No. 1 in Illinois for core based statistical areas for hospitals its size. Alton Memorial also ranks first in Madison County.

"What makes this even more exciting is that this is all based on what our patients are saying about us," says Braasch. "We've set out to provide the best care close to home. This award is a testament to keeping our promise."
 
The hospital value index is the only performance indicator to focus on the value hospitals provide their community and uses the latest publicly available data to recognize these accomplishments.

"Value is increasingly important to patients and consumers who decide which hospital they will access for care," says Hal Andrews, CEO of Data Advantage. "The hospital value index is the first award to recognize those hospitals providing exceptional value of care to their communities, and Alton Memorial Hospital has achieved great results."

The hospital value index defines a hospital's "value" in four critical areas:

• Quality -- Including Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services core measures, patient safety and readmission rates
• Efficiency -- Including the relative measure of the cost to the hospital for providing services
• Affordability -- A relative comparison of prices charged for inpatient and outpatient services
• Patient Satisfaction -- As measured by HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems)