Hackensack University Medical Center Named Consumer Choice Award Winner 13 Years in a Row
By Mel Fabrikant Tuesday, January 13, 2009, 04:47 PM EST
For the 13th year in a row, the National Research Corporation (NRC) recognized Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) as one of the nation’s top hospitals as 2008/09 Consumer Choice Award winners. The award identifies hospitals which healthcare consumers have chosen as having the highest quality and image in more than 250 markets throughout the United States.
Ginny Martin, president of NRC’s Healthcare Market Guide Division, said winners are determined by consumer perceptions on multiple quality and image ratings collected in the company’s Healthcare Market Guide Ticker® study. Of the 3,200 hospitals named by consumers in the study, the winning facilities rank highest in their Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), as defined by the US Census Bureau. The Healthcare Market Guide Ticker study surveyed more than 200,000 households representing more than 400,000 consumers in the contiguous 48 states and the District of Columbia.
“Consumers continue to be empowered to make decisions for themselves and their families when selecting their healthcare facilities and services,” Martin said. “As care options multiply and consumer perception of quality grows in importance, dedication to providing a high level of quality healthcare becomes essential for hospitals. These Consumer Choice award winners exemplify the dedication it takes to provide quality healthcare to their communities, and we are pleased to honor them through the eyes of their patients.”
“Our team at Hackensack University Medical Center focuses on providing exceptional experiences for our patients and their loved ones. It’s an unwavering commitment we approach with respect and compassion,” said John P. Ferguson, president and chief executive officer of HUMC. “For the past 13 years, the NRC has awarded hospitals whose consumers have recognized them for providing the highest quality healthcare. We are honored to have received this recognition since the award’s inception.”
NRC’s Healthcare Market Guide Ticker is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive study of its kind. No other study used to measure hospital performance and preferences contains more consumer responses than NRC’s study. The study has a margin of error of plus or minus 0.2 percent at a national level. Co-winners are named when scores fall within the statistical margin of error for a given market.
National Research Corporation (NASDAQ:NRCI) is an industry leader, with more than two decades of experience in healthcare performance measurement and improvement.
About Hackensack University Medical Center
Hackensack University Medical Center is a 775-bed teaching and research hospital and provides the largest number of admissions in New Jersey. The medical center was recently ranked in five specialties including geriatric care, gynecology, heart and heart surgery, neurology and neurosurgery, and orthopedics in U.S. News’s 2008 publication of America’s Best Hospitals. HUMC is the only New Jersey acute-care hospital to receive rankings in five specialties. For two years in a row, HealthGrades® named HUMC one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals. This designation recognizes hospitals that have demonstrated superior clinical quality over a seven-year time period, based upon an analysis of more than 75 million Medicare patient records from 1999-2005. These hospitals have achieved better survival rates and lower complication rates across dozens of medical procedures and diagnoses, from cardiac care to orthopedic surgery, consistently ranking among the top five percent in the nation for overall clinical outcomes. HUMC is the only healthcare facility in New Jersey, New York, and New England to be named one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals in 2007 and 2008. Only one percent of the nation’s hospitals can make this claim. To learn more, please visit www.humc.com.
Ginny Martin, president of NRC’s Healthcare Market Guide Division, said winners are determined by consumer perceptions on multiple quality and image ratings collected in the company’s Healthcare Market Guide Ticker® study. Of the 3,200 hospitals named by consumers in the study, the winning facilities rank highest in their Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), as defined by the US Census Bureau. The Healthcare Market Guide Ticker study surveyed more than 200,000 households representing more than 400,000 consumers in the contiguous 48 states and the District of Columbia.
“Consumers continue to be empowered to make decisions for themselves and their families when selecting their healthcare facilities and services,” Martin said. “As care options multiply and consumer perception of quality grows in importance, dedication to providing a high level of quality healthcare becomes essential for hospitals. These Consumer Choice award winners exemplify the dedication it takes to provide quality healthcare to their communities, and we are pleased to honor them through the eyes of their patients.”
“Our team at Hackensack University Medical Center focuses on providing exceptional experiences for our patients and their loved ones. It’s an unwavering commitment we approach with respect and compassion,” said John P. Ferguson, president and chief executive officer of HUMC. “For the past 13 years, the NRC has awarded hospitals whose consumers have recognized them for providing the highest quality healthcare. We are honored to have received this recognition since the award’s inception.”
NRC’s Healthcare Market Guide Ticker is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive study of its kind. No other study used to measure hospital performance and preferences contains more consumer responses than NRC’s study. The study has a margin of error of plus or minus 0.2 percent at a national level. Co-winners are named when scores fall within the statistical margin of error for a given market.
National Research Corporation (NASDAQ:NRCI) is an industry leader, with more than two decades of experience in healthcare performance measurement and improvement.
About Hackensack University Medical Center
Hackensack University Medical Center is a 775-bed teaching and research hospital and provides the largest number of admissions in New Jersey. The medical center was recently ranked in five specialties including geriatric care, gynecology, heart and heart surgery, neurology and neurosurgery, and orthopedics in U.S. News’s 2008 publication of America’s Best Hospitals. HUMC is the only New Jersey acute-care hospital to receive rankings in five specialties. For two years in a row, HealthGrades® named HUMC one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals. This designation recognizes hospitals that have demonstrated superior clinical quality over a seven-year time period, based upon an analysis of more than 75 million Medicare patient records from 1999-2005. These hospitals have achieved better survival rates and lower complication rates across dozens of medical procedures and diagnoses, from cardiac care to orthopedic surgery, consistently ranking among the top five percent in the nation for overall clinical outcomes. HUMC is the only healthcare facility in New Jersey, New York, and New England to be named one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals in 2007 and 2008. Only one percent of the nation’s hospitals can make this claim. To learn more, please visit www.humc.com.
