Officials at Wetzel County Hospital are proud to announce that the hospital has been named a 2012 Top Improver Award winner for the National Core Measures by Press Ganey Associates, Inc.

“This is an outstanding achievement for our entire organization,” said Brian Felici, chief executive officer at WCH. “It exemplifies our ongoing commitment to continually improving the quality of care that we provide.

Press Ganey currently partners with more than 10,000 health care facilities, including over 50 percent of all United States hospitals, to measure and improve the quality of care that providers deliver to patients and ultimately to improve the overall health care experience.

“The award recognizes hospitals that have shown continuous improvement over the previous two years,” Felici said.

He added that Wetzel County Hospital is one of only 12 Press Ganey client facilities to receive this honor for improved clinical performance.

“Very simply put, this means that we’ve raised the bar in terms of the quality of care that patients receive at our hospital, ” said Dr. Donald Blum, president of the medical staff. “The Press Ganey model for determining scores is detailed and extensive. They look at virtually every area of clinical performance before making a determination.”

“What this tells us is that our staff is always striving to improve,” Felici said. “We’re always working to be the best healthcare provider that we can be.”

“The success of WCH isn’t limited to one group,” Felici said, “but rather, to the entire workforce of the hospital, as well as its board and medical staff.”

“This is an award that we all share,” he remarked. “It’s not just the nursing staff or the medical staff. It’s everyone. It includes the clinical personnel, as well as the ancillary departments who provide such outstanding support.”