National Survey Results: The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital Ranks Higher than 99 Percent of Children's Hospitals in Patient Satisfaction

Thursday, October 21, 2004

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ - The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital has done it again, ranking among the top 1 percent of hospitals in the nation in customer satisfaction.

For the third quarter in a row, the children's hospital scored in the 99th percentile of United States children's hospitals in patient satisfaction, according to Press Ganey, a company that statistically measures hospital patient satisfaction.

The children's hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital has been a favorite with patients since its opening in 2001, but patient satisfaction scores over the past two years have never been stronger. The hospital has maintained its 99th percentile ranking over the past three consecutive quarters, and has ranked higher than 95 percent since January 2003.

The Press Ganey report paints a picture of a hospital that is exceeding patient expectations across numerous criteria, from the quality of its meals, to friendliness of nurses, to the amount of time physicians spend with patients.

The children's hospital nurses, for example, ranked in the 99th percentile in patient satisfaction, according to Press Ganey, whose surveys asked patients to rate the nurses on various standards including friendliness, skill, attention to personal needs and promptness in answering the call button.

The doctors at the children's hospital also scored in the 99th percentile, with patients praising them across criteria that included the amount of time spent with patients, the ability to keep patients informed and clearly explain issues, the doctor's friendliness and caring, and their trustworthiness.

Other criteria in which the hospital scored higher than 95 percent of all the nation's children's hospitals included the overall "cheerfulness" of the hospital, the safety and security of the building, and the hospital staff's attitude toward family members and visitors.

"Our children's hospital provides the kind of comprehensive medical and surgical care that only a major teaching hospital can offer, but it clearly provides much more," said Daniel Notterman, MD, Physician-in-Chief of the children's hospital, and Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. "As the patient satisfaction scores demonstrate, our children's hospital keeps children and families happier than 99 percent of the nation's children's hospitals."

The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University hospital is a state-designated specialty acute care children's hospital under the clinical leadership of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

A sampling of its medical specialties includes pediatric neurosurgery, pediatric oncology, pediatric orthopedic surgery, pediatric rheumatology and metabolics diseases, and pediatric cardiology and cardiac surgery.

Special amenities abound at the children's hospital, including an "interactive gallery" with talking animals, a room-service menu filled with kids' favorites, extra beds for parents in every room, as well as the latest video game system.

"New Jersey and indeed the nation should take note: The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital is almost without peer in the United States in terms of patient satisfaction," said Trisha Montague, RN, children's hospital vice president.

"The popularity of the children's hospital has already necessitated a $30 million expansion that is adding two new patient floors and increases the number of beds from 70 to 94. The expansion, which will be complete in early 2005, will also add a pediatric cardiac catheterization lab to support the hospital's newly constituted pediatric cardiac surgery program.

Noting that the hospital is also a Regional Perinatal Center, Dr. Notterman said the expanded children's hospital will also contain a new, state-of-the-art Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for very sick or premature infants, and an expanded array of amenities for parents, including sleep areas and more private space.

About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital

Selected as one of four hospitals nationwide to offer the world's first self-contained implantable artificial heart, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.rwjuh.edu) is a 600-bed academic medical center and the principal hospital of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, NJ. Robert Wood Johnson is an innovative leader in advancing state-of-the-art care in medicine. Its Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, and women's and children's care including The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.bmsch.org). The hospital is also a Level 1 Trauma Center and serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness.

The hospital has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is ranked among the top 50 hospitals in the nation for both heart and heart surgery and respiratory disorders, according to U.S.News & World Report's 2008 ranking of "America's Best Hospitals." The American College of Surgeons' Commission on Cancer has rated Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital among the nation's best comprehensive cancer centers. The Leapfrog Group rated Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital as one of the 50 exceptional U.S. hospitals, as published in Consumers Digest magazine. Harvard University researchers, in a study commissioned by The Commonwealth Fund, identified Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital as one of the top 10 hospitals in the nation for clinical quality. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is also a recipient of the prestigious Magnet Award for Nursing Excellence for more than 10 consecutive years.

Attention members of the media: For more information on this release, please contact the Department of Public Relations (732) 937-8521.


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