St. John’s Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway has been awarded Silver Certification of Excellence in Person-Centered Care by Planetree International.
The certification recognizes the organization’s achievement and innovation in the delivery of person-centered care, St. John’s Episcopal Hospital is the first organization to earn the prestigious award through partnership and ongoing collaboration between cohorts from the Hospital Association of New York State (HANYS).
What distinguishes Planetree Certification among other healthcare quality awards is its distinctive focus on person-centered care, defined as a model of care delivery in which healthcare professionals partner with patients and families to identify and satisfy the full range of patient needs and preferences.
The award is conferred based on a variety of factors, including performance improvement on traditional quality indicators, review of policy documents and how patients and staff assess the organization’s person-centered culture. Silver Certification was awarded to St. John’s Episcopal Hospital followed a series of focus groups with patients and their loved ones, as well as staff from a multitude of disciplines and divisions within the organization.
Considered collectively, these discussions with patients and staff attested to the genuine culture of person-centered care.
“The experience of St. John’s Episcopal Hospital shows what can be accomplished when a team of deeply committed, supremely innovative and highly driven caregivers takes the courageous leap to redefine priorities and reorganize systems to put patients first,” said Susan Frampton, president of Planetree International, a nonprofit that has been at the forefront of the movement to transform healthcare from the perspective of patients for more than 40 years.
“Planetree awards Silver Certification in Person-Centered Care to celebrate organizations’ progress along the culture change journey,” Frampton added. “In this spirit, we look forward to witnessing how the team at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital builds on this achievement to take its commitment to delivering person-centered care to even greater heights.”
The criteria that St. John’s satisfied to achieve the certification reflected what patients, residents, family members and healthcare professionals in hundreds of focus groups say matters most to them during their healthcare experience.
The qualitative data aligns with the growing evidence-based for person-centered care and establishes the certification program as a concrete framework for defining and measuring excellence in person-centeredness.
“At St. John’s, we make it a point to treat our patients with dignity and respect, while also involving them in decisions about healthcare,” St. John’s Episcopal Hospital CEO Jerry Walsh said. “I am extremely proud of all of our St. John’s team members for incorporating a person-centered approach in the way we deliver healthcare to our patients.”
