Emergency Department Award

Award Winning Care
The Sky Lakes Medical Center Emergency Department, in 2004, received a national Press Ganey “Compass Award” for outstanding performance improvement in patient satisfaction. The award really belongs to the entire medical center and reflects the organization’s commitment to using satisfaction survey data to improve patients’ experiences.

“We are the first impression of the hospital for many patients,” says Jeremy Westover, RN, director of the Sky Lakes Medical Center Emergency Department. “How well we build a relationship with those patients can set the tone for the rest of their stay. No one works in a vacuum,” he adds. “Providing excellent patient care and customer service requires the cooperation and collaboration of virtually everyone here. The ED staff have always treated all patients as if they were family.”

"The Emergency Department is often the first and only contact many people have with the community-owned medical center," says Stacey Holmes, RN, Trauma Coordinator. “We are the ones who often ‘make’ their perception by how we interact (with patients and their families).”

Dr. Konrad Eppel, Emergency Department physician, believes continuous improvement regarding patient satisfaction is the way of the future. “High-quality care is assumed,” he says. “Patients assume we will make good medical decisions. It’s everything else surrounding their care – the kindness and courtesy and concern of staff – that’s what makes the difference.”