At Beth Israel Medical Center, we are committed to delivering high quality patient care with compassion and respect. Improving the patient experience is integral to that commitment, and we strive to be a top performer in this area.

We use a standardized tool called HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) to survey our patients, measure their experience at Beth Israel, and identify areas for improvement. Developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, HCAHPS also enables us to compare our results with other hospitals in our geographic area as well as nationally.

Many important factors contribute to the patient experience. We are proud to share our results at Beth Israel's Petrie and Kings Highway Divisions. (Results reflect 4th quarter 2009 data.)

Measure: Communication with Doctors
Did our doctors treat our patients with courtesy and respect, listen to them carefully and explain things in a way they could understand?
How We Scored: 73% of our patients at Petrie and 82% of our patients at Kings Highway reported that our doctors always communicated well with them.

Measure: Responsiveness of Hospital Staff
Was our hospital staff timely in responding to our patients after they pressed their call buttons? Did our staff promptly help our patients in getting to the bathroom or using a bedpan?
How We Scored: 51% of our patients at Petrie and 76% of our patients at Kings Highway reported that our hospital staff were always responsive to their needs.

Measure: Pain Management
How often was our patients’ pain well controlled, and how often did our hospital staff do everything they could to help with pain?
How We Scored: 64% of our patients at Petrie and 58% of our patients at Kings Highway reported that their pain was always well managed.

Measure: Communication about Medicines
When new medications were given, did our hospital staff explain to our patients what the medicine was for and if there were possible side effects in a way patients could understand?
How We Scored: 55% of our patients at Petrie and 38% of our patients at Kings Highway reported that our hospital staff always explained the medicines before giving them.

Measure: Cleanliness of Hospital Environment
Were patients’ rooms and bathrooms kept clean during their hospital stay?
How We Scored: 66% of our patients at Petrie and 75% of our patients at Kings Highway reported that hospital facilities were always clean.

Measure: Quietness of Hospital Environment
Was the area around our patients’ rooms quiet at night?
How We Scored: 56% of our patients at Petrie and 43% of our patients at Kings Highway reported that hospital facilities were always quiet at night.

Measure: Discharge Information Received
Prior to discharge, did our hospital staff talk to patients about whether they needed help at home during their recovery? Did they provide written information about symptoms or health problems to look out for after our patients left the hospital?
How We Scored: 76% of our patients at Petrie and 69% of our patients at Kings Highway reported that our hospital staff always provided adequate planning, information and instructions when it was time to go home from the hospital.

Overall Patient Experience and Likelihood to Recommend Our Hospitals
On a scale of 1 (worst hospital possible) to 10 (best hospital possible), 61% of our patients at Petrie Division and 56% of our patients at Kings Highway Division rated their overall experience as a 9-10. Additionally, 64% of our patients at Petrie Division and 54% of our patients at Kings Highway Division reported they would definitely recommend our hospitals to others.