86% of women say they would travel up to 50 miles to a hospital for patient experience
The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute has been named one of America’s 2024 Best Hospitals for Cancer Care and one of the country’s 100 Best Hospitals for Patient Experience by the Women’s Choice Award®, America’s trusted referral source for the best in health care. This is the 11th consecutive year Karmanos has been recognized by the Women’s Choice Award® since the inception of the national list.
“A woman’s influence on where she chooses to receive health care is powerful, and we are once again honored to be recognized as an awardee of the 2024 Women’s Choice Award,” said Brian Gamble, president of the Karmanos Cancer Hospital and Network. “Every single staff member at Karmanos is dedicated to providing the best cancer care and experience for every patient, and this designation shows we’re on the right track.”
America’s Best Hospitals for Cancer Care
Karmanos, part of McLaren Health Care, was ranked among the top 4% of 4,728 hospitals offering cancer care services in the U.S. To qualify as one of America’s Best Hospitals for Cancer Care, a hospital must be designated by the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer Classification (ACS CoC) as one of four specific types of cancer programs. The Women’s Choice Award® measures hospitals on the presence of specific cancer-related services offered onsite, infection rates, and patient recommendation ratings on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) Survey. The award is unique in that criteria also include primary research about women’s healthcare preferences. Delia Passi, founder and CEO of the Women’s Choice Award® and a breast cancer survivor, emphasized that Karmanos and all 2024 Best Hospitals for Cancer Care deliver the most important care to women.
“The very first step on a cancer journey is knowing where to go for the best care,” said Passi. “We’re empowering women to make confident decisions about the best hospital for cancer care for themselves and their loved ones. We help them make smart, informed choices during a stressful time.” The award-winning hospitals “provide the care that women value most, including easily accessible services onsite to avoid multiple trips for their treatment, which is so important to women faced with a cancer diagnosis.”
Accreditation required for the award ensures that a hospital or facility offers a full range of diagnostic and treatment services or provides integrated cancer care and comprehensive services. Low infection rates compared to the national average are another critical measure.
America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Patient Experience
The Women’s Choice Award® recognizes the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute as one of the 100 Best Hospitals for Patient Experience in the U.S. The methodology used to select Karmanos evaluates specific HCAHPS Survey results and primary research about women’s healthcare preferences.
The Women’s Choice Award® collects the data for the following HCAHPS survey measures and uses a weighted average to award the best hospitals for patient experience:
- Effective communication with nurses and doctors.
- Responsiveness to requests for help.
- Providing patient recovery information.
- Explanation about medications before being administered.
- Bathroom and room cleanliness.
- Peacefulness of room at night.
- Patient recommendation rating.
“Our mission at Karmanos is to provide the best cancer care along the entire continuum of care. We strive every day to demonstrate to our patients that we care about them and their families. We are honored that patients have chosen us to treat their disease and they inspire us to provide the best cancer care anywhere,” said Gamble.
According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, good patient experience positively correlates to disease management, adherence to treatment plans and health outcomes. Providing a good patient experience also benefits business as it results in greater employee morale and satisfaction, thereby reducing turnover and helping recruit top talent. It also keeps patients loyal and happy and less likely to change providers or systems, supporting the bottom line. In a survey of healthcare consumers, 82% would switch healthcare providers due to a bad experience. At the same time, 86% of women would travel up to 50 miles for a hospital rated best in patient experience.
“To help women simplify their choices, the 100 Best Hospitals for Patient Experience are awarded because they excel in the patient’s willingness to recommend, as well as doctor communications, staff help, cleanliness, providing recovery information, explanation of medications, communication by nurses and peacefulness of the room at night,” said Passi.
The Women’s Choice Award® also gave the Karmanos Cancer Center’s Walt Comprehensive Breast Center the 2024 Mammogram Award for ranking in the top 1% of breast care centers, and Karmanos also received the Minimally Invasive Surgery Award for ranking in the top 4% of hospitals across the country. View Karmanos’ listing on the Women’s Choice Award® website here.
For more information on Karmanos Cancer Institute’s cancer services and programs, call 1-800-KARMANOS or visit karmanos.org.