Sarah Bush Lincoln Receives the 2024 Women’s Choice Award® as one of America’s Best Hospitals in Four Service Categories
Sarah Bush Lincoln has been named as one of America’s Best Hospitals for Orthopedics earning the ranking of the top 1 percent of the 4,728 hospitals survey by the Women’s Choice Award®, America’s trusted referral source for the best in healthcare. SBL also earned top honors in Outpatient Experience, Minimally Invasive Surgery and Obstetrics.
In Outpatient Experience, SBL ranked in the top 3 percent of the nearly 5,000 hospitals surveyed; in Minimally Invasive Surgery, SBL ranked in the top 10 percent of the hospitals surveyed; and in Obstetrics, SBL is in the top 13.7 percent of the hospitals surveyed.
SBL President & CEO Kim Uphoff said, “We are honored to receive these recognitions. Our orthopedics program has grown to include the largest orthopedic group in downstate Illinois, and it has received The Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval for Total Hip and Total Knee Certification. Our surgeons use the Mako and Rosa robotic systems to assist them in surgeries for optimal outcomes, and they continually innovate for better ways to perform surgeries. We couldn’t be more pleased to be ranked in the top 1 percent of hospital surveyed.”
She added. “Our staff works diligently to provide the absolute best care possible in all our service areas. Our robotics program, which also include the DaVinci, provides our patients with less invasive procedures in which they could recovery more quickly. We will continue to use the best techniques for our patients’ benefit.”
The methodology used to select SBL as one of the Best Hospitals for Orthopedics is unique in that it evaluates Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey results along with primary research about women’s healthcare preferences. Award recipients are also measured on their incidence of surgical complications and infections, including:
- A wound that splits open after surgery
- Accidental cuts and tears
- Deaths from serious treatable complications
- Rate of complications for knee or hip replacement patients
- Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI)
- Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureu (MRSA) infections
A hospital must have arthroscopy, joint replacement and spine surgery orthopedic services available to patients, onsite physical therapy, and an MRI in order to qualify for the award. It is the only award recognizing excellence in orthopedics based on robust criteria that consider patient satisfaction and clinical excellence.
The methodology used to select SBL as one of the Best Hospitals for Outpatient Experience is exclusive in that it evaluates patient satisfaction measures with a hospital visit based on the criteria in the Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgery Survey (OAS-CAHPS). The evaluation process is the only national list that focuses on the opinion of females. SBL was one of 315 hospitals to receive this designation.
Minimally Invasive Surgery has become the standard of care for many surgical procedures as a safer, less invasive, and more effective option to open surgery. Minimally invasive surgeries minimize risks to the patient by significantly reducing the size of the incisions which has clear benefits including shorter hospital stays, if any, fewer complications, faster recovery, and reduced pain, scarring and costs. SBL achieved the Best Hospitals for Minimally Invasive Surgery distinction by meeting the following criteria by providing robotic surgical procedures, and having a recommendation of 67 percent or higher from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services HCAHPS. SBL was one of 503 hospitals in the US to earn this award.
The methodology for the Best Hospitals for Obstetrics combines national accreditations, HCAHPS survey results and hospital outcome scores with primary research about women’s healthcare preferences. SBL is one of 682 award recipients representing the hospitals that have met the highest standards for obstetrics across the U.S. Sarah Bush Lincoln has a Baby Friendly designation, which means it has a reduced cesarean-section rate for first-time moms to 15 percent, well below the national average of 23 percent. It also has a low early elective delivery rate.
For more information about the Women’s Choice Awards, contact Quality Management at 217 258-4171.