Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/656512
36 UCW MARCH 23-29, 2016 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM When it comes to healthcare, nothing matters more than quality. Obtaining high quality care during a hospital visit can mean the difference between life and death or lingering health issues versus a speedy recovery. But quality doesn't come easy or naturally. There are approximately 5,600 hospitals in the U.S., each providing a different level of care to the public. U.S. News & World Report publishes an annual list of the nation's Best Hospitals, as well as a state-by-state list, to let patients know what's available in the marketplace. Cape Fear Valley Health made the North Carolina list for 2016. The health system did it by earning five quality distinctions. No other hospital in the state earned more. To the average person, rankings from national publications may seem insignif- icant. But industry experts understand what it takes to be mentioned alongside prestigious medical centers like the Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins Hospital and UCLA Medical Center. So how did, Cape Fear Valley Health, the state's 8th largest health system, pull off such an improbable achievement? By reinventing itself over the years in an effort to become a world-class hospital. The strategy involved greater teamwork, continually upgrading to the latest medical technology, and always putting patients at the center of everything the health system does. CEO Mike Nagowski championed the transformation effort soon after joining Cape Fear Valley in 2008. It was a bold decision, because of the imploding U.S. economy at the time. Hospitals nation- wide were either closing their doors or contracting in size. But Nagowski bet committing to greater excellence would pay off in the long run. He was right. The U.S. economy has rebounded, Cape Fear Valley steadily grew its service foot- print across southeastern North Caro- lina in the years since, and U.S. News & World Report's latest Best Hospitals list has Cape Fear Valley's name on it. The health system has received a num- ber of other recent quality recognitions, as well. They include a letter grade "A" in 2015 for patient safety from The Leapfrog Group. The hospital watchdog group rates U.S. hospitals for patient care with a simple letter grade. Ranging from "A" to "F," grades are based on research of each facility's approach toward patient safety. Less than 30 per- cent of all hospitals nationwide received an "A" last year. Cape Fear Valley was the only hospital in southeastern North Carolina to receive a superior grade. No one could be happier about the "A" than Cape Fear Valley's CEO. "We earned that letter grade," Nagowski said, "because over the last four to five years, our employees have been on a journey, making this grade of 'A' occur. I want to congratulate them. Very few hospitals accomplished what we did." capefearvalley.com pa rt 1 i n a c o n t i n u i n g s e r i e s