Vail Health Receives Two Press Ganey Human Experience Guardian of Excellence Awards for 2024

Vail Health has been nationally recognized by Press Ganey with the prestigious Guardian of Excellence Award® in two separate patient care categories for incredible dedication and commitment to providing excellent care every day and embracing continuous improvement in their patient experience work. The Vail Health Emergency Department and the Vail Health Inpatient Departments, consisting of the Family Birth Center, Intensive Care Unit and Patient Care Unit, were 2024 Press Ganey Human Experience Guardian of Excellence Award® winners. It marks the fifth consecutive year the Emergency Department has been recognized with the award.

“Congratulations to the Emergency Department, our Inpatient Units and all the Vail Health teams that made this national recognition possible. We are so grateful for the work of these department leaders and their teams,” said Vail Health President and CEO Will Cook. “To be recognized at such a high level is a testament to their unwavering commitment to Vail Health’s mission of elevating health across our mountain communities.”

Presented by Press Ganey, the global leader in healthcare experience solutions and services, these awards are part of their annual ranking of the top hospitals and health systems in the country, according to performance in patient experience.

“Vail Health is setting the standard for excellence in patient experience,” said Patrick T. Ryan, CEO and Chairman at Press Ganey. “They are leading the way by turning words into action and creating a culture where every interaction is an opportunity to make a positive impact. It’s clear they’re committed to making a difference.”

Patient-Focused

The Vail Health Emergency Department scored in the top 1 percent of Press Ganey clients and ranked nationally among other organizations in the 99th percentile, across all four quarters during the 2024 measurement period in overall top box ranking, likelihood to recommend, and staff worked together categories. In 2024, the Emergency Department continually focused on improving the patient experience by listening and responding to what patients were saying, reading through every patient comment, and recognizing that staff demonstrating care and compassion were among patients’ biggest priorities. This last year, the Emergency Department also prioritized involving patients’ family/friends in their care and ensuring staff took more time with reviewing discharge instructions.

The Inpatient Units scored in the top 5 percent of Press Ganey clients and collectively ranked in the 95th percentile, across all four quarters during the 2024 measurement period in overall top box ranking, likelihood to recommend, and staff worked together categories.

During the last year, the Family Birth Center worked on improving patient experiences by adding a take home meal for each patient at discharge, as well as creating a perinatal massage program where the patient can receive massage therapy during their stay. The staff culture deeply cares about the patient population and seeks to understand the patients’ wants and needs. The team regularly discusses not only patient experience scores at staff meetings, but also the way they can improve the experience for every patient. Currently, the team is working on a comfort menu to improve the experience for patients by reducing and better managing pain during their stay.

In the Patient Care and Intensive Care Units, the team focused on leadership rounding with patients, thank you cards in the patient discharge packet that encourages patients to provide feedback through our survey process, and monthly emails acknowledging staff recognized by patients.

About Press Ganey

Press Ganey partners with healthcare providers and health plans to improve the experiences of their patients, consumers, and workforce by marrying data with unparalleled technology, analytics, and expertise. Its Human Experience (HX) platform unites and enlivens disparate data, enabling clients to gather, analyze, visualize, and act on key insights to retain talent, improve access to care, and ensure the care journey is safe, equitable, and patient-centered. Press Ganey is the trusted partner to 41,000+ healthcare provider organizations globally and 85% of health plans in the United States. Press Ganey is a PG Forsta company.