Healthgrades Names Fairview Hospital an Outstanding Patient Experience Award

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GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Fairview Hospital announced that for the 12th consecutive year it has been recognized as a 2024 Outstanding Patient Experience Award recipient by Healthgrades, the leading resource consumers use to find a hospital or doctor. 
 
This achievement reflects Fairview Hospital's commitment to providing an exceptional care experience for patients and their loved ones.
 
"For 12 years running, the south Berkshire community has given Fairview Hospital the highest marks for patient care, and this is a testament to the dedication the Fairview team has for only providing the best care possible," said Darlene Rodowicz, President and CEO of Berkshire Health Systems. "Every member of the Fairview team should be justifiably proud of this incredible achievement."
 
Fairview Hospital's Vice President, Emmett Schuster, MHSA, ACHE, added, "Fairview Hospital is very proud of its history of excellent patient care and satisfaction. Our surveys speak to our Professionalism, Teamwork and Respect.  Our skills and attention to detail ensure our patients have the best care possible. We especially want to thank our community for their support and positive feedback."
 
"The name of the award says it all about how the clinical team and support staff uphold the highest standards of quality," said James Lederer, MD, BHS Chief Medical Officer/Chief Quality Officer. "Outstanding patient experience has made Fairview Hospital a model for the nation, and the entire staff shares in this commitment."
 
To identify the top hospitals for patient experience, Healthgrades applies a scoring methodology to ten patient experience measures using Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey data submitted by the hospital's own patients. Survey questions focus on patients' perceptions of their hospital care, from cleanliness and noise levels to medication explanations and staff responsiveness. The measures also include whether a patient would recommend the hospital to friends or family and their overall rating of the hospital.
 
For this annual analysis, Healthgrades evaluated more than 2,500 hospitals that submitted at least 100 patient experience surveys to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), covering admissions from January 2022 to December 2022. Of those hospitals evaluated, Fairview Hospital outperformed its peers–based on feedback from their own patients–to achieve this award.
 
"We commend Fairview Hospital for going above and beyond to provide a best-in-class care experience for patients during their hospital stay," said Brad Bowman, MD, chief medical officer and head of data sciences at Healthgrades. "Fairview Hospital's dedication to superior patient care is particularly impressive given recent declines in patient satisfaction scores across the country. We look forward to their continued leadership and commitment to ensuring the health and wellness of all patients."
 
Consumers can visit healthgrades.com to learn more about how Healthgrades measures hospital quality and access the complete Outstanding Patient Experience Award Methodology. A patient-friendly overview of our methodology is also available here

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Pittsfield School Committee OKs $82M Budget, $1.5M Cuts

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The school budget is less grim than the original proposal but still requires more than $1.5 million in cuts.

On Thursday, the School Committee approved an $82.8 million spending plan for fiscal year 2025, including a city appropriation of $80.4 million and $2.4 million in Chapter 70 funds.

The cuts made to balance the budget include about 50 staff reductions — some due to the sunsetting of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds.

"The final version does not answer all needs. It will be unacceptable to some or to many but I must say that tonight's final proposal is very different than where we started when we believed we would have a $3,600,000 reduction. I want to assure everyone that every effort has been made to minimize the impact on both students, families, and staff members while also ensuring that our district has the necessary resources to progress forward," Superintendent Joseph Curtis said.

"Nevertheless, there are incredibly passionate, dedicated staff members who will not be with us next year. This pains me as I've been a part of this organization for now 30 years so I want to assure everyone that our team, this has weighed very heavily in our hearts, this entire process. This is not a group of people that is looking at a spreadsheet saying ‘Well that can go and this can go’ and take that lightly."

Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Kristen Behnke and other officials worked with the state Department of Secondary and Elementary Education to rectify an error in the Chapter 70 funding formula, recognized 11 more low-income students in the district, and added an additional $2.4 million to the FY25 budget.

Curtis commented that when he first saw the governor’s FY25 budget, he was "rather stunned."

"The extraordinary circumstances we face this budget season by the conclusion of the substantial ESSER federal grant and a significant reduction in Chapter 70 allotment caused challenges for this team and our school principals and our educators and our staff that have been nothing short of all-consuming," he said.

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