Report Card ranks AGH as a high-performing Ontario hospital

The Almonte General Hospital (AGH) has been ranked as one of Ontario's high performing hospitals for patient satisfaction with its emergency department and acute care, according to the 2008 provincial hospital report card results.

AGH also ranked as one of Ontario's high performing hospitals for its financial performance and condition relating to emergency department care.

In the area of patient satisfaction with acute care services, AGH was identified as one of nine high performing hospitals in Ontario, with an overall impression score of 88.9. The provincial average score was 82.3. Among the high performing hospitals, AGH received the second-highest ranking for patient satisfaction in three areas: communication, consideration and responsiveness.

Communication includes patients' views about the amount and quality of the information and communications they received about their condition, treatment and preparation for discharge and care at home. Consideration includes patients' views about whether they were treated with respect, dignity and courtesy. Responsiveness includes patients' assessments of the extent to which they got the care they needed in hospital and how co-ordinated and integrated that care was when it was delivered.

In the area of patient satisfaction with emergency care, AGH was one of 11 high performing Ontario hospitals, with an overall impression score of 83.4. The provincial average score was 74.1.

High-performing hospitals met specific criteria for each area of performance and did not record a below-average rating on any indicator in the report. The report card results for acute care are based on surveys of patients treated in 83 Ontario hospitals. The results for emergency care are based on surveys of patients treated in 90 Ontario hospitals.

The most recent patient satisfaction rankings are based on responses to questionnaires distributed to patients who visited Ontario acute care and emergency departments between April 1, 2006 and March 31, 2007.

This is the twelfth year that Ontario residents have had access to independently researched reports detailing the performance of Ontario hospitals. The 2008 reports were prepared by the Hospital Reports Research Collaborative. The report card process is a joint initiative of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and the Ontario Hospital Association. To download a copy of the 2008 hospital report cards, visit www.hospitalreport.ca.