Capella Health

Three Hospitals Earn “Excellence Through Insight” Awards

Franklin, TN.  March 5, 2012.  Michael Wiechart, Chief Operating Officer for Capella Healthcare, will be a featured speaker at this week’s annual HealthStream Summit, which is expected to draw hundreds of healthcare leaders from throughout the country to Nashville.   HealthStream (NASDAQ: HSTM), a leading provider of learning and research solutions for healthcare industry, sponsors the annual conference for its clients.  The event is being held March 5-9 at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel.

Wiechart is participating in a panel presentation on Thursday, March 8, focusing on “The Financial Impact of Value-Based Purchasing.”  His presentation will showcase strategies and best practices that have accelerated Capella’s hospitals’ accomplishments in the areas of quality care and constituency satisfaction.

“In implementing Value-based purchasing (VBP), Medicare marks the evolution from a pay-for-reporting structure to a true pay-for-performance system,” said Nicholas Dowd, Senior Consultant with HealthStream, who will be facilitating the session.  “Amid a glut of dashboards, scorecards and blueprints – and the imminent market-level competition – hospitals are seeking out any advantage they can muster to navigate this sea of change. Every eligible hospital must keep abreast of the current status, but also the pending changes to the program, while projecting the financial impact on operations.”

Participating with Wiechart on the panel are Tom Lundquist, MD, MMM, FAAP, FACPE,  VP Performance Measurement & Improvement, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee; Jim Schnuck, SVP-Financial Operations, Ardent Health Services; and Mike Sandwith, Senior Consultant, ICA.

Additionally, at the awards ceremony on Thursday evening, three hospitals affiliated with Capella Healthcare will be honored as 2012 Excellence through lnsight award recipients.  Only six percent of the 625 medical entities who utilize HealthStream are receiving awards.  Capella hospitals being honored include:

• Muskogee Regional Medical Center, Muskogee, OK, for “Most Improved Overall Physician Satisfaction” in the large hospital category
• National Park Medical Center in Hot Springs, AR, for “Most Improved Overall Outpatient Satisfaction” in the medium hospital category
• Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center, in Russellville, AR, for “Most Improved Overall Physician Satisfaction” in the medium hospital category

Each hospital received its specific recognition because of a commitment to excellence. The hospitals were chosen for their ability to excel in gaining insight into their constituents through research, and for using that information to build excellence within their organizations. To qualify for an award, a hospital must have been a client of HealthStream in 2011 and conducted a minimum number of surveys.

“We are extraordinarily proud of these hospitals’ achievements,” Wiechart said.  “Their leadership and staff are committed to providing the highest quality of care along with outstanding customer service.  These awards are tangible evidence that they are achieving results, above and beyond the industry averages.”

HealthStream’s Chief Executive Officer, Robert A. Frist, Jr., said, “We applaud these Capella hospitals’ high level commitment to excellence in healthcare – and we are pleased to recognize their achievement through our presentation of Excellence through Insight Awards.”

About HealthStream

HealthStream (NASDAQ: HSTM) is dedicated to improving patient outcomes through the development of healthcare organizations’ greatest asset: their people. Our unified suite of software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions are used by, collectively, over 2.7 million healthcare employees in the U.S. for training & learning management, talent management, performance assessment, and managing simulation-based education programs. Our research solutions provide valuable insight to healthcare providers to meet HCAHPS requirements, engage their workforce, and enhance physician alignment. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, HealthStream has an additional office in Laurel, Maryland. For more information, visit www.healthstream.com or call 800-933-9293.

About Capella Healthcare

Capella Healthcare partners with communities to build strong local healthcare systems that are known for quality patient care. Based in Franklin, Tenn., Capella owns and/or operates 13 general acute-care hospitals in seven states.  With the philosophy that all healthcare is local, Capella collaborates with each hospital’s medical staff, board and community leadership to take care to the next level.  The company has access to significant leadership and financial resources, investing in its family of hospitals to strengthen and expand services and facilities. or call 615-764-3000.

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