Sacred Heart among top 5 for patient engagement

PENSACOLA — A new hospital study that examined patient engagement ranked Sacred Heart Health System’s three hospitals among the five best in Florida.

Becker’s Hospital Review and Axial Exchange developed the 2014 Hospital Patient Engagement Rankings based on readmission rates, patient satisfaction, patient education and community social media engagement.

Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast in Miramar Beach ranked No. 1 in Florida and No. 23 in the nation for patient engagement. Sacred Heart Hospital Pensacola and Sacred Heart Hospital on the Gulf in Port St. Joe ranked No. 3 and No. 5, respectively, of 160 Florida hospitals included in the study.

Becker’s Hospital Review defines patient engagement as the process by which patients become invested in their own health.

This occurs when facilities:

•Provide patients with information and tools that support self-care

•Have low 30-day readmission rates

•Have high patient-satisfaction scores

•Enable patients to have rich online interactions with the health system through patient portals and social media.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Sacred Heart among top 5 for patient engagement