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Health Care
Rio Grande Regional Hospital and McAllen Medical Center Both Earn the HealthGrades Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence
Both McAllen Medical Center, above, and Rio Grande Regional Hospital have earned HealthGrades’ Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence.
The awards come in a steady stream at Rio Grande Regional Hospital and McAllen Medical Center‚ both of which have received the Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence. The designation‚ which is given by HealthGrades after studying 28 different components of a hospital’s operations and patient outcomes‚ means that the two institutions rank in the top 5 percent of the nation’s hospitals.
“We’re very proud of that‚” says Rebecca Ryder‚ interim CEO of McAllen Medical Center. “It means a lot for the patients who come here for care‚ as well as the staff who works here.”
McAllen Medical Center’s McAllen Heart Hospital also has been recognized by HealthGrades for the past several years for its pulmonary care‚ pulmonary services and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pulmonary embolisms.
Over at Rio Grande Regional Hospital‚ the institution’s pulmonology and orthopedics services have earned HealthGrades recognition. The hospital also has been recognized as a bariatric center of excellence‚ making it the only hospital in Texas south of San Antonio to receive the distinction‚ says Stephen K. Jones Jr.‚ CEO.
“We’ve spent a lot of resources on that program and are extremely proud of what we’ve been able to achieve there‚” Jones says.
Even as the honors come in‚ neither organization is content to rest on its laurels; both are actively engaged in making sure their services and facilities remain up to date.
McAllen Medical Center put the finishing touches on a remodeled emergency department in August 2007‚ with improvements designed to create a more comfortable space for patients and their families as well as improve traffic flow through an area that has accommodated almost 185‚000 visits in the past five years.
“We wanted to look at both of those issues‚” Ryder says. “Now we have a beautiful waiting area for patients’ families and a much better traffic flow system for our nurses and physicians who first see the patients.”
Similar activity is taking place at Rio Grande Regional‚ where Jones says a million-dollar overhaul was wrapped up in November 2007.
“We’re working to improve the patient experience in our emergency department‚” he says‚ “and also provide better customer service there as well.”
Both Ryder and Jones say that having outstanding medical facilities in McAllen benefits the entire region‚ especially as the population continues to grow.
“These awards compliment not only the hospital‚ but the physicians‚” Jones says. “McAllen has grown significantly in the last five years‚ and so have physician specialties. The goal of our hospital and our medical community is to provide as much medical care in the Valley as we can and not have to transfer people to San Antonio and Houston.”
“People can fee very secure to know that there is this level of excellence in the Valley‚” adds Ryder.
Story by Joe Morris
Photo by Wes Aldridge
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