Vanderbilt tops survey of area hospitals
A rapidly growing number of Nashvillians view Vanderbilt University Medical Center as the premier provider of health care services in the Middle Tennessee Region.
In a recently completed survey of consumer preferences, Vanderbilt topped all other area providers as the overall hospital of choice, and was tabbed by respondents as the number one choice — often by whopping margins — in nearly every category studied.
For example:
• Nearly one in three Nashvillians believe the quality of care provided at Vanderbilt is the best in the region, more than double the response rate for any other hospital.
• A staggering 44 percent of those surveyed believe Vanderbilt is the area leader in employing the latest medical technologies available.
• By wide margins, those polled said the quality of care provided by Vanderbilt's nurses and physicians was the best in the region.
• More than 50 percent of area residents would choose Vanderbilt and the Children's Hospital for pediatric care, a response that dwarfs all other hospitals in the region combined.
• For emergency care, nearly 25 percent of those surveyed rated Vanderbilt first, more than double the response as the next closest provider.
• In cancer care, 29 percent of those surveyed said Vanderbilt would be their first choice, far ahead of the second most-chosen hospital's 13 percent.
The figures are impressive, reflecting the high levels of care, skill and compassion brought to bear by those who work at Vanderbilt for the benefit of those who live in the greater Middle Tennessee area. More impressive still is the fact that, in nearly every category, the consumer preference figures have grown considerably over the past nine years.
In 1996, 15 percent of survey respondents rated Vanderbilt's cancer care tops. That figure jumped to 29 percent this year. Likewise, orthopaedics rose from 11 percent to 17 percent; emergency care 10 percent to 25 percent; neurology and neurosurgery from 14 percent to 27 percent; and, as an overall indicator, VUMC rose from 8 percent to nearly 17 percent as respondents' hospital of choice.
Thanks to the hard work and dedication of its clinical staff and physicians, thanks to long-running, successful marketing initiatives such as the “Hearts and Minds” campaign, and thanks to a remarkably effective media relations program that generated more than 10,000 positive stories, and Vanderbilt is becoming ingrained in the public's consciousness as the preferred source for health care in Middle Tennessee.
“Perception is catching up with reality,” said Joel Lee, associate vice chancellor for Communications. “While it's clear to everyone who works at Vanderbilt that the quality of care and service provided here is unparalleled, it's taken time and effort to communicate that message to the region's consumers. This survey shows that those efforts are on target.”
The survey of nearly 2,000 Nashville area households was conducted by PRC, an independent market research firm.