BY DAN HILDEBRAN
Lake Butler Hospital has earned a 5-star quality rating from the National Rural Rating System. The designation is the highest possible score under the performance metric.
The hospital had maintained a four-star rating for about eight months before reaching the top tier, according to Cynthia Coulter, chief clinical services officer.
“It’s our patients, so I would have to say a huge thank you to all of our employees and our providers and the care that they provided to our patients,” Coulter said about the achievement.
The rating is based on Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems scores, which are national, standardized surveys sent to patients after discharge that ask about their hospital experience, including the care they received, food quality, and interactions with providers.
“It’s totally based on the patient’s experience,” Coulter said of the 5-star rating.
She added that the hospital has focused on staff education and training, quality measures, patient safety, pharmacy services, and dietary offerings to improve the patient experience.
Colter oversees all clinical departments at the hospital, including radiology, laboratory services, rehabilitation, nursing, case management and pharmacy.
An independent healthcare technology firm, Press Ganey, administers and analyzes patient surveys for the hospital.
“There’s been excitement with our staff because of the recognition,” Coulter said, “and we’ve had a big celebration for our staff to thank them for all that they do.”
The administrator said next up for the facility is a construction project to renovate its building and HVAC system. Some staff will temporarily relocate to a new administrative building during renovations.
