Waynesboro Hospital ranks among best

A study conducted by Press Ganey Associates, which measures over 35 percent of the nation's hospitals, shows that Waynesboro Hospital is a national leader when it comes to providing "customer" service in its Emergency Department. The quarterly statistics continue to verify that individuals receiving treatment in WH ED rated the facility in the 99th percentile (as in the top 1 percent in the country) in patient satisfaction.

That means, if you're a patient coming to the Waynesboro Hospital ED, you'll most likely have a better overall experience with courteous nurses, doctors, prompter testing (if needed), concern for privacy, comfort in the wait areas and waiting time to see a doctor.

The national average time patients spend in an emergency room is more than 4 hours, 18 minutes (with some hospitals topping six hours). "There is hardly a hospital in the country that is not, in some way, focused on wait time in the ED," says Crissy Mentzer, RN, Emergency Department Manager. "The longer a patient waits, the more dissatisfied a patient gets. Just like most hospitals, we struggle with reduced resources and continual increase in demand, but our patients always come first - and that includes their comfort and wait time, and our courtesy to them."

Most hospitals in the country are faced with increasing challenges, including rising volumes and un-reimbursed care in emergency departments. Adding to that is how a hospital informs patients of time delays to improve their experience in the ED.

"Hospitals with the highest mean [Press Ganey] scores are setting a new standard for excellence, which means that competitive hospitals require a concentrated focus on meeting patient needs and expectations, just as we do here in Waynesboro," says Jill Keller, RN, Director of Quality and Risk Management. "Our staff refers to this as just doing their jobs day in and day out."

Overall, Pennsylvania ranked 24th in the nation, with patients spending an average of 237 minutes in an ED for a visit. There is wide variability from state to state in the amount of time spent in the ED.

"I would put our emergency department up against any in the country when it comes to skill, compassion, service excellence or any other measure of success you wish to choose," states Ken Shur, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Waynesboro Hospital for Summit Health. "The latest Press Ganey scores simply validate what we've all known all along about our team. We listen to our patients and continue to work on improving their level of satisfaction."

Waynesboro Hospital ED has 14 beds with state-of-the-art technology and equipment, had almost 24,000 visits this year, and provides 24/7 service to patients in South Central Pennsylvania and North Maryland. Waynesboro Hospital is a 64-bed non-profit community hospital offering a full range of services and technology, and is known for its caring and dedicated staff.

Press Ganey Associates is a national firm specializing in quality care measurement and the improvement of healthcare institutions. Their Emergency Department Survey gives patients who have been treated and released from EDs the opportunity to provide feedback about their stay. The survey is used by EDs across the United States to improve the quality of the service and care they deliver. Highly valid and reliable, Press Ganey's survey consists of 31 standard questions organized into eight sections: Arrival, Nurses, Doctors, Test, Family or Friends, Personal/Insurance Information, Personal Issues and Overall Assessment. Report data, including that on time spent in the ED, are patient-reported.

Waynesboro Hospital, an affiliate of Summit Health, is a 64- bed acute care, not-for-profit, community hospital located at 501 E. Main St. Waynesboro Hospital offers a wide array of services with leading-edge technology. The hospital also offers lab and diagnostic services at satellite offices in Waynesboro and Mont Alto.