Maggie McKay (Host): Welcome to To Your Health, a podcast from Jefferson Healthcare. I'm your host, Maggie McKay. Joining us today is Bandie Manuel, Chief Patient Safety and Quality Officer to discuss the Women's Choice Awards and the recognition of Jefferson Healthcare's exceptional quality of care. Thank you for being here, Bandie.

Bandie Manuel, RN, MBA, CPHQ, CPPS: Thank you for having me.

Host: So Jefferson Healthcare was recently recognized, as I just said, for excellence in several areas in the Women's Choice Awards. Before we get into specifics, could you tell us what are the Women's Choice Awards and why are they so important?

Bandie Manuel, RN, MBA, CPHQ, CPPS: Well, the Women's Choice Awards are a designation that are awarded to hospitals across the country based on certain criteria, and it's looking at different elements of care, according to the kinds of choices that women want to make about their healthcare. So looking at everything from the patient experience to systems that are in place and how hospitals perform in OB care, specifically in the case of this award.

And it allows women to have more information and make more informed decisions about where they go for their healthcare decisions.

Host: And not only was Jefferson Healthcare recognized in these awards, but it was as one of America's best hospitals for obstetrics. Can you tell us what that means for Jefferson Healthcare?

Bandie Manuel, RN, MBA, CPHQ, CPPS: It's an incredible honor, and it really is a testament to the hard work of our physicians and our nurses and our care team members across the organization, to be recognized in that way. We were actually recognized as being in the top 9% of hospitals across the country. So, it was an incredible honor and we're very proud of our teams.

Host: Wow. Yeah, I think I remember, hearing that it was like 9% of over 4,600 US hospitals that offer obstetric services. That is something to be proud of. My goodness. Another major award that came out of the Women's Choice Awards had to do with outpatient experience. What did this recognition say about Jefferson Healthcare's outpatient experience metrics?

Bandie Manuel, RN, MBA, CPHQ, CPPS: So the outpatient experience looks at hospitals that for starters, they're accredited by an organization that is deemed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid to testify to the quality and the services and the compliance with the conditions of participation. So whether through the Joint Commission or in our case, DNV; the first part of that is that the hospital meets the standards required through that process. And then the other domains that they look at are the care that are delivered by the hospital. It looks at things like communication, care coordination. It looks at facility ratings and patient recommendations overall. And for that one, Jefferson Healthcare was in the top 5%.

Host: Wow. And that's nationwide, right?

Bandie Manuel, RN, MBA, CPHQ, CPPS: Correct.

Host: Wow, that's impressive as well. With these awards, what's next for Jefferson Healthcare in its pursuit of excellence? What are you looking forward to in the future in the wake of these awards?

Bandie Manuel, RN, MBA, CPHQ, CPPS: Well, I think that the goal for us is always to ask how we can continue to improve. Over the last couple of years, we've expanded our services to our community. We've opened, new and expanding services that we haven't had before. Specialties, things like radiation-oncology. Looking at things like pulmonology and ENT. Those are all services that are brand new to our community.

So our commitment is to build those in the same way that we built other systems by bringing in talented, passionate, healthcare providers and clinicians and, making sure that we're delivering the same great care that our other services are delivering for those services as well.

Host: Is there anything else you'd like to add in closing that you would like people to know about Jefferson Healthcare?

Bandie Manuel, RN, MBA, CPHQ, CPPS: The main thing that makes Jefferson Healthcare a really special place is the commitment to the community. I really think that, one of the things that sets us apart, is our healthcare team across the board. So whether it's somebody working in EVS, which is our environmental services, whether it's the folks behind the scenes who are setting up new buildings and working on our electronic health record.

Or whether it's a physical therapist, a nurse, or a physician. Every one of our team members across the board is fully committed to caring for our community and they really understand their role, whether, again, they're right at the bedside or they're supporting the people who are at the bedside in keeping our patient's safe.

And I think that really is something that sets us apart and makes us different.

Host: Well, it sounds like you guys are just doing a stellar job. Keep it up and thank you for joining us today.

Bandie Manuel, RN, MBA, CPHQ, CPPS: Thank you for having me.

Host: Again, Tthat's Bandie Manuel. To learn more, please visit jeffersonhealthcare.org. If you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and check out our entire podcast library for topics of interest to you. I'm Maggie McKay. Thanks for listening to To Your Health from Jefferson Healthcare.