Elmhurst Hospital earns re-designation as a Planetree Patient-Centered Hospital

Elmhurst Hospital has been re-designated by Planetree, Inc. as a “Planetree Designated Patient-Centered Hospital.” This designation recognizes Elmhurst’s achievement and innovation in the delivery of patient-centered care, defined as an approach to healthcare in which providers partner with patients and families to identify and satisfy the full range of patient needs and preferences.

Elmhurst earned its first Planetree designation in 2012 and is one of only 72 organizations worldwide, including 28 in the U.S., to receive the Patient-Centered Hospital Designation since the program’s launch in 2007. Each Planetree designation is awarded for three years.

Following review of Elmhurst’s application for re-designation and site visit assessment that was done earlier this year, the Planetree Designation Committee unanimously agreed that Elmhurst is meeting the spirit and intent of the designation criteria, and that re-designation is well-deserved.

“The Planetree designation is the only award that recognizes excellence in person-centeredness across the continuum of care,” said Susan Frampton, President of Planetree, Inc. “The designation signals to healthcare consumers that Elmhurst Hospital is a hospital where providers partner with patients and families, and where patient comfort, dignity, empowerment and well-being are prioritized with providing top-quality clinical care.”

“We are honored to achieve re-designation as a Planetree Hospital,” says Joanne Muzzey, Director of Patient Advocacy and Planetree, Elmhurst Hospital. “It serves as confirmation that our patients and families are getting the care and experience they deserve when they’re at Elmhurst Hospital. And, the honor is a wonderful recognition of the team effort by our doctors, nurses and staff that shows a commitment to performing all aspects of healthcare the right way.”

Planetree Designation is based on more than 60 specific criteria that address components of a patient-centered healthcare experience, including patient-provider interactions, access to information, family involvement, the physical environment, food and nutrition, spirituality, arts and entertainment, and integrative therapies. In addition, the criteria focus on how the hospital is supporting its staff, opportunities for staff, patients and families to have a voice in the way care is delivered, and the ways that the hospital is reaching beyond its walls to care for its community.

Founded in 1926, Elmhurst Hospital, now part of Edward-Elmhurst Healthcare, has multiple locations and services designed to enhance the health of the communities and customers served. In 2011, Elmhurst Hospital opened a new, 866,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art acute care hospital. With 259 private patient rooms, a modern emergency department and technologically advanced surgical suites, Elmhurst Hospital incorporates the latest trends in healthcare facility design and is home to some of the area’s most advanced technology.

Founded in 1978 by a patient in San Francisco, Planetree is an internationally recognized leader in the growing movement to transform the healthcare experience by considering healthcare facilities, processes and protocols from the perspective of the patient. The Planetree membership network is a global community of more than 250 acute care hospitals, continuing care facilities, outpatient clinics, and consumer health libraries. The Planetree model is implemented in a variety of settings, ranging from 25-bed critical access hospitals to large urban medical centers with more than 2,000 beds.