St. Luke's honored with Consumer's Choice Award

September 30, 2008 
 
St. Luke’s Hospital has been named a 2008/2009 Consumer Choice award winner by Eastern Iowans in a National Research Corporation (NRC) survey. The award identifies those hospitals, which healthcare consumers have chosen as having the highest quality and image in over 250 markets throughout the U.S. This is the thirteenth year NRC has awarded hospitals whose consumers have recognized them for providing quality healthcare services.

Ginny martin, President of NRC’s HealthCare Market Guide Division, said winners are determined by consumer perceptions on multiple quality and image ratings collected in the annual NRC Healthcare Market Guide study. Of the hospitals named by consumers in the study, the winning facilities rank highest in their Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. The 2008/2009 NRC Healthcare Market Guide study surveyed over 200,000 households representing 400,000 consumers in the U.S.

"Consumers continue to be empowered to make decisions for themselves and their families when selecting their healthcare facilities and services," Martin said. "As healthcare options multiply and consumer perception of quality grows in importance, dedication to providing a high level of quality healthcare becomes essential for hospitals. A winner of the Consumer Choice award exemplifies the dedication it takes to provide quality healthcare to their communities, and we are pleased to honor them through the eyes of their patients.”

The 2008/09 Healthcare Market Guide is the nation's largest and most comprehensive study of its kind. No other study used to measure hospital performance and consumer preferences contains more responses than NRC's study. The study has a margin of error of + or - 0.2 percent at a national level. Co-winners are named when scores fall within the statistical margin of error for a given market.

The announcement of the award winners was published in the September 29 issue of Modern Healthcare magazine.

MEDIA CONTACT: Sarah Corizzo, St. Luke’s Hospital, 319/369-8372 or 319/560-2385.