Orlando, Florida (May 28, 2009) –   Avatar International, an industry leader in healthcare quality improvement services today recognized its top performing hospital partners in 2008.  Acknowledging consistently high standards of patient care across multiple services lines, Sebasticook Valley Hospital in Pittsfield is being awarded Avatar International’s OVERALL BEST PERFORMER award.

In making the announcement, David Medvedeff, PharmD, MBA, CEO of Avatar said, “To attain a high level of patient satisfaction for a single service line is commendable, to achieve this result across all of the primary services lines within a hospital is indicative of the organizational commitment to service excellence and is a remarkable accomplishment.”

Sebasticook Valley Hospital President/CEO John C. May, shared, “Everyone in our organization has worked diligently to achieve this award.  This award is all about everything we do on a day to day basis to continually strive to improve the services we provide to those we serve.  We are privileged to be entrusted with each patient’s care.” 

ABOUT THE AWARD

The Overall Best Performance award is based on the results of the hospital’s 2008 patient surveys.  It is awarded to those hospitals with the highest overall combined score for Inpatient, Outpatient, Emergency Department, and Ambulatory Surgery.  The award represents the top 5% in Avatar’s National Database.

Avatar (http://www.avatar-intl.com/), a research and consulting company based in Orlando, FL.   Avatar also actively engages healthcare providers in process improvement, including training in service quality.  Avatar serves healthcare organizations nationally, including small community hospitals, academic medical centers, large regional medical centers, integrated healthcare systems, long-term care and behavioral health organizations.