Beautiful Hospitals organizers says patient experience part of what makes a facility shine

Photo courtesy ORMC

Call it the one no one saw coming, a hospital that had never even made Soliant Health's Most Beautiful Hospitals list before in its nine-year history grabbed the top spot in this year's rankings.

Orange Regional Medical Center in Middletown, New York, was Soliant's Most Beautiful Hospital for 2017. But according to their blog, that may have less to do with its outer beauty than what is happening on the inside.

"Orange Regional Medical Center offers high-tech services in a visually stunning 'impeccable, healing environment' that's also comfortable and welcoming. According to the hospital, many patients have described it as feeling more like home than a hospital."

Execs take notice. That's a theme throughout the Top 20. To make your hospital truly beautiful, it has to feel like a place of healing, not just look like one. True, some of that is accomplished through physical details, but according to Carmela Nazareno, a Marketing Specialist at Soliant for four years, and Tera Tuten, vice president of Marketing for the last 16 years, the nominations that pour in each year talk as much about patient care and compassion as they do eye-popping design.

"A lot of nominations included details of patient care that they receive at these hospitals. Sometimes we get nominations just based on patient care," Nazareno said.

Gallery: Soliant names 2017's Top 20 Most Beautiful Hospitals in the U.S.

Tuten said the playing field is pretty even between nominations based on aesthetics and patient experience. She said often times older hospitals who don't have money for appearance updates still get nominated because people point out the great care and the staff.

"We don't just take into consideration the hospitals that are brand new and are beautiful. There are equal amounts of both," Tuten said.

For instance, the 20th ranked hospital was Dell Children's Medical Center in Austin, Texas. The facility is known for specialty pediatric care, and also the colorful multi-level grounds which speak to its pediatric population. The 12th ranked Pinnacle Health's West Shore Harrisburg facility in Pennsylvania boasts walking trails and a healing garden. Several more even higher ranked hospitals were heralded for soothing environments that promoted healing, proving that though they are physical design details, they transcend their immediate value for something even greater.

Soliant's contest started nine years ago after Tuten said the organization became aware of research published by Johns Hopkins University that said patients heal faster in a soothing calming environment. Hospitals started taking that into consideration, Tuten said, and that's how the contest started. In the last three years they have updated how they run contest, and now it's 100 percent in the hands of voters.

The 16th ranked La Rabida Children's Hospital in Chicago no doubt won significant community support due to its mission as "the only hospital in the country solely dedicated to caring for children with chronic illnesses, disabilities, or who have been abused or neglected." The 14th ranked Firsthealth Moore Regional Hospital in Pinehurst, North Carolina, was new to the list for 2017. It boasts some striking physical features like its curved glass plateaus and meticulous tree-centered landscaping. But it's the hospital's look and feel that rank it the 10th highest patient satisfaction rate in the state, according to Soliant.

Since a hospital's success in the rankings is fueled solely by community support, even making the list should send a message to C-suite execs about what they should be focused on.

"They're really doing something right if thousands of people are voting their hospital to the top," Tuten said.

Nazareno and Tuten both also said a spot on the list, or even just a nomination, has a huge impact on the community, boosting morale inside and beyond the hospital's walls. It is a source of pride and unity for the hospital staff, volunteers and community members, especially those that got involved in the campaign.

"We've been asked to go to big celebration parties for winning hospitals. It's a rallying point for communities. Often they put their winner's plaques in visible places so everyone can see," Tuten said.

It's also a clear message for small and rural facilities that it's not always what is outside that's beautiful. People can truly make or break the patient experience, Tuten said. Last year's winner, Doctor's Memorial Hospital in Florida, is a small rural hospital that had strong support. They finished third this year.

Tuten and Nazareno are already planning for next year 10th anniversary of the campaign. They said Soliant is going to do something to differentiate from past years. They are discussing the idea of requiring a video submission from a patient or hospital staff for a better glimpse into the hospitals. Plans are still in the works, but there is already excitement in the air.

"We are going to make it something really big for next year."

Twitter: @BethJSanborn