MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla. – Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast is proud to announce that Press Ganey Associates, Inc. has named it a 2009 Summit Award Winner. The Summit Award is the healthcare satisfaction industry’s most coveted symbol of achievement, recognizing top performing facilities that sustain the highest level of customer satisfaction for three or more consecutive years. Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast is one of 32 hospitals nationwide to receive this year’s award.

“This award is a true testament to the passion and dedication displayed by our physicians and associates on a daily basis,” said Roger Hall, president of Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast. “Providing high quality, compassionate healthcare is more than a job to us – it is our passion, and we are honored to partner with the community to continually raise the bar for healthcare in our region.”

Press Ganey currently partners with more than 10,000 health care facilities, including over 40% of U.S. hospitals, to measure and improve the quality of their care. The company’s databases are the largest in the industry, and allow facilities nationwide to benchmark their results against peer organizations.

Richard B. Siegrist, Jr., president and CEO of Press Ganey, noted, "We are proud partners of Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast. Sacred Heart continues to maintain a high level of patient satisfaction over the past three years. Their efforts benefit Northwest Florida and lead to improved delivery of healthcare."

Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast is a 58-bed hospital located just east of Destin in Miramar Beach. Since opening its doors to patient care in January 2003, the not-for-profit hospital has grown steadily and continues to fulfill its mission to improve the health of the community at large, with special attention to service of the poor. The hospital was recently named one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals® by Thomson Reuters and was also among 23 hospitals in the country to receive the Everest Award for National Benchmarks.

Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast offers a wide range of medical and surgical services, including 24-hour emergency care, an intensive care unit, a dedicated joint replacement program, cardiac diagnostics, cancer care, rehabilitation services, laboratory and radiology services, and comprehensive women’s services with the Family Birth Place and the Olson Women’s Diagnostic Center.

The hospital is part of Sacred Heart Health System based in Pensacola. Surveys by National Research Corporation have found that for 14 consecutive years, consumers in Northwest Florida have rated Sacred Heart Health System as the healthcare provider with the best reputation and best overall quality.

For more information about the Press Ganey and the 2009 Summit Award, visit www.pressganey.com. For more information about Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast, call (850) 278-3600 or visit www.sacredheartemerald.org.
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