Hospital of the Year Finalist

St. George -- The American Alliance of Healthcare Providers (AAHCP) has presented two awards to Dixie Regional Medical Center for outstanding service.

AAHCP is a national organization that seeks to improve hospital performance and patient satisfaction. "Our goal is to help consumers make educated decisions about the quality of their healthcare," said President R. Vincent Parr of the award’s purpose.

Earlier this year Dixie Regional was notified of their designation by AAHCP as a "Hospital of Choice." The selection committee considers hospitals across the United States for staff friendliness and courtesy, fairness and accuracy in billing, timely communication with patients, level of patient involvement in discharge plans, and medical competency. Dixie Regional was the only Utah hospital to receive the Hospital of Choice Award at that time.

In August, AAHCP named Dixie Regional one of ten finalists for the 2008 Hospital of the Year Award. Judges assessed more than 100 hospitals to find the most patient-friendly healthcare facility. Award criteria included standards of conduct, performance management and improvement, staff development and training, good citizenship, educational and promotional material available to consumers, and systems of communication. Dixie Regional is the only hospital in the western United States to rank in the award’s top ten.

Cabell Huntington Hospital in Huntington, West Virginia, was honored as Hospital of the Year, with the University of Alabama Hospital in Birmingham chosen as second place and Holston Valley Medical Center in Kingsport, Tennessee, as third.

The remaining finalists were honored for their top ten placement but not ranked in any specific order. Besides Dixie Regional, they are in alphabetical order: Jeanes Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Leesburg Regional Medical Center, Leesburg, Florida; Memorial Hospital, York, Pennsylvania; Silver Cross Hospital, Joliet, Illinois; St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Hartford, Connecticut; and The Valley Hospital, Ridgewood, New Jersey.