The Bronson organization has garnered an impressive collection of awards and honors for the quality of patient care, the quality of its workforce and for facility design. Here are some recent achievements:

Quality & Service

Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (2005)
Bronson Methodist Hospital was one of just six organizations nationwide to receive this award, the nation's highest Presidential honor for quality and organizational performance excellence. The award promotes excellence in organizational performance, recognizes the quality and performance achievements of U.S. organizations, and publicizes successful performance strategies. Since 1988, 71 Baldrige Awards have been presented to 67 organizations.

Michigan Quality Leadership Award (2001, 2005)
Presented by the Michigan Quality Council, this award is the state's highest honor for outstanding quality and customer service. Bronson is the only organization to have ever been presented with this award twice.

100 Top Hospitals Award (2005)
This award for Bronson Methodist Hospital is based on results of the Solucient 100 Top Hospitals: National Benchmarks for Success, 13th Edition study which examines changing performance levels in U.S. hospitals across five critical areas: outcome of care, patient safety, efficiency, financial performance and growing community service. Bronson was selected as a benchmark-setting hospital for organization-wide high performance based on independent analysis of 2002-04 publicly reported data. A total of 3,019 US hospitals were evaluated in the process of determining the nation's top 100.

American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Citation of Merit (2006)
This national award honors hospital leadership and innovation in quality, safety and commitment to patient care. Bronson is one of only three U.S. hospitals recognized in 2006. To receive the award an organization must demonstrate its commitment to achieving the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) six quality aims - safety, patient-centeredness, effectiveness, efficiency, timeliness and equity.

VHA Leadership Award for Clinical Excellence (2007)
VHA Inc., a national health care provider alliance recognized Bronson Methodist Hospital with its 2007 Leadership Award for clinical excellence based on performance at the 90% or above level on clinical core measures in surgical complications and infection prevention.

Governor's Award of Excellence for Improving Care in the Hospital Setting (2004-2006)
Presented by MPRO, Michigan's Quality Improvement Organization, these awards recognize Bronson for its success in improving care for such conditions as acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), pneumonia, and heart failure, in both the hospital and emergency department setting.

John A. Hartford Foundation Institute for Geriatric Nursing/NICHE award (2004)
Bronson Methodist Hospital was awarded the John A. Hartford Foundation Institute for Geriatric Nursing/NICHE award for its training in the care of hospitalized older patients. The award is given annually to the US hospital that embodies best practice in nursing care for older adults and serves as a model of geriatric care to other hospitals. It is jointly awarded by the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) and the Hartford Institute.

Organ Donation Medal of Honor (2005, 2006)
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded Bronson an Organ Donation Medal of Honor for achieving organ donation rates of 75% or higher in a 12-month period.

Keystone ICU Project (2005)
Bronson's intensive care units were recognized for their patient safety efforts as part of the national Keystone ICU Project. The project, developed by Johns Hopkins University, the Michigan Hospital Association, and the Keystone Center for Patient Safety & Quality, helps hospitals develop and implement comprehensive unit-based safety programs that provide creative methods of quickly and efficiently implementing best practice strategies to provide safe and high quality care.

Consumer Choice Award (2003-2006)
Bronson Methodist Hospital was named by consumers in the National Research Corporation (NRC) survey as the best hospital in the Kalamazoo-Battle Creek area.

Professional Research Consultants 4- and 5-star designations (2005, 2006)
Bronson was honored with a number of 4- and 5-star designations by Professional Research Consultants (PRC), which conducts annual telephone surveys to determine satisfaction among physicians. A 4-star designation is given to any healthcare facility that scores between the 75th and 89.9th percentile, and a 5-star designation is given to facilities that score at or above 90 percent.

Arbor Associates Award for Highest Overall Patient Satisfaction (2000-2003)
Bronson Methodist Hospital has won the Arbor Associates Award for Highest Overall Patient Satisfaction in a four-state area for three years in a row. Bronson is the benchmark for satisfaction compared with more than 40 large hospitals in the Arbor database. In addition, Bronson has won Arbor's top award for exceeding patient expectations.

Kalamazoo's Leading Hospital (1998-2005)
In Adam's Outdoor's annual "Who's Who in Kalamazoo" survey, Bronson has been named Kalamazoo's Leading Hospital for eight consecutive years.

AARP Modern Maturity Award (2001)
Bronson was named to Modern Maturity's 2001 list of top 15 U.S. "Hospitals with Heart." Bronson was listed in the July/August 2001 issue of the publication as one of the institutions in the nation most respected by its peers for patient-focused care.

Bronson OB/GYN Associates named a "Better-Performing Practice" by Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) (2005)
The survey recognizes Bronson OB/GYN Associates in the areas of productivity, capacity and staffing. Of the 1700+ practices eligible for this award, just 340 were named as better performers.

Governor's Award of Excellence for Improving Preventive Care in the Ambulatory Care Setting (2005, 2006)
Bronson primary care practices received this award, presented by MPRO, Michigan's Quality Improvement Organization. The practices honored were Bronson Family Practice Downtown, Bronson Family Practice Oshtemo, Bronson Family Practice Portage, Bronson Internal Medicine Associates, Bronson Internal Medicine Downtown and Bronson Internal Medicine Oshtemo.

Michigan Childhood Immunization Registry Private Provider Site of Excellence Award (2004)
Bronson Rambling Road Pediatrics in Portage received the Michigan Childhood Immunization Registry Private Provider Site of Excellence Award for 2004, recognizing the practice that exceeds reporting requirements and utilization of the MCIR as a tool to increase the vaccine coverage level in the community.

Accreditation/Rankings

Chest Pain Center Accreditation (2005)
The Society of Chest Pain Centers granted the designation of Accredited Chest Pain Center to Bronson Methodist Hospital for receiving full accreditation status. Bronson is the only accredited Chest Pain Center in southwest Michigan and the sixth in the state of Michigan.

Primary Stroke Center Certification (2005, 2007)
Bronson Methodist Hospital earned Primary Stroke Center Certification from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). This certification verifies that Bronson's stroke care program follows national standards and guidelines determined to significantly improve outcomes for stroke patients.

National Rankings for Cardiac Care (2003-2005)
Bronson Methodist Hospital's cardiac program has earned the highest rankings in southwest Michigan from HealthGrades, the nation's leading healthcare quality company. In addition to the overall ranking, Bronson received five-star ratings for clinical quality and performance excellence for the treatment of heart attacks. In 2004, Bronson was the first hospital in Michigan to be designated a UnitedHealth Premium cardiac specialty center, reflecting national recognition of its cardiac care services.

JCAHO Accreditation (2004)
Bronson Methodist Hospital and Bronson Vicksburg Hospital achieved re-accreditation from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) as a result of their demonstrated compliance with the Joint Commission's nationally recognized health care standards.

Quality Comparison by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (2003)
Bronson Home Health Care (BHHC) was the highest ranked home health agency in Michigan, according to 2003 quality comparison by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The figures compare 214 Medicare-certified home health agencies in the state. BHHC ranked above the national average in ten out of eleven categories measured.

National Rankings for Orthopedics (1999-2004)
HCIA, Inc. and The Health Network named Bronson Methodist Hospital an award winner in their 1999 100 Top Hospitals Orthopedic Benchmarks for Success study, identifying hospitals that provide the greatest value in delivering orthopedic care. Bronson was one of just 20 hospitals from a field of 2,200 in the US to be recognized as a top orthopedic specialty hospital for knee replacement surgery. HealthGrades, one of the nation's leading authorities on hospital performance, rated Bronson among the top 5% of orthopedics programs in the nation in their 2003 and 2004 data releases.

The Leapfrog Group's Hospital Quality and Safety Ranking (2004-2006)
Bronson is in full compliance with these national safety standards based on the National Quality Forum (NQF) 30 Safe Practices. Bronson is the only hospital in southwest Michigan reporting a full circle for meeting all of the Leapfrog safe practices criteria. A full circle puts Bronson in the top 25th percentile of hospitals reporting. (www.leapfroggroup.org)

Environment

H2E Leadership Award (2003-2006)
Bronson Methodist Hospital received the Leadership Award from Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) in recognition of significant progress in reducing waste, preventing pollution and eliminating mercury. This organization is a voluntary partnership sponsored by the American Hospital Association, the U.S Environmental Protection Agency, Health Care Without Harm, and the American Nurses Association. This is the highest award bestowed by this organization.

Energy Star Label (2005)
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses an energy performance rating system to recognize hospitals that consume the least amount of energy. The top 25 percent of high performing hospitals in the nation receive the Energy Star label.

The Green Guide's Top 10 Green Hospitals in America (2006)
To select its top green hospitals, The Green Guide identified a field of nearly 1,300 hospitals that are pursuing environmental certifications and awards. The Green Guide narrowed its list to 76 leading contenders, and then cross-checked their performance on criteria including energy and air pollution, indoor environmental quality, healthy hospital food, green cleaning, waste reduction and healing gardens.

Workplace

FORTUNE magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For" (2004-2006)
Bronson Healthcare Group was named to FORTUNE magazine's 2004 and 2005 lists of the "100 Best Companies to Work For," the nation's most prestigious workplace honor. Two-thirds of FORTUNE's scoring is based on employee responses to random surveys conducted by the publication; also considered is compensation and benefits, human resources practices, training opportunities and flexibility.

Working Mother's "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" (2003-2006)
Bronson Healthcare Group was named by Working Mother magazine as one of the nation's "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" in 2003, 2004 and 2005. Working Mother scores companies on more than 500 points of information, including the number of work/life programs they offer, the employee usage of such programs and the representation of women throughout the company.

VHA Leadership Award for Operational Excellence (2005, 2007)
VHA Inc., a national health care provider alliance recognized Bronson Healthcare Group with its 2005 Leadership Award for operational excellence.

MBPA's "Best of the Best" Award (2003)
Bronson Healthcare Group was named by the Michigan Business and Professional Association (MBPA) as the top winner ("Best of the Best") in its list of "West Michigan's 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For" for 2003. The companies nominated for MBPA's Best and Brightest Award represent the leading edge in human resources practices in industries as diverse as the automotive, insurance, hospitality, communications and non-profit fields. The geographic area covered comprises almost 27,000 businesses, including those in Holland, Grand Rapids and Battle Creek, as well as Kalamazoo.

West Michigan's 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For (2005)
Bronson Healthcare Group was named by the Michigan Business and Professional Association (MBPA) to its list of "West Michigan's 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For" for 2005. Bronson also received the Elite Award for Recognition and Retention honoring the extent to which the organization recognizes and rewards achievements and outstanding performance, and works to retain its best and brightest employees.

Information Technology

McKesson VIP Award (2002)
Bronson Healthcare Group was one of five organizations nationally to be selected to receive the 2002 McKesson VIP Award. This award recognizes vision and innovation in the use of information technology to maximize performance.

HDI Support Center Certification (2004)
In 2004, Bronson was recognized by HDI, the world's largest membership association for IT service and support professionals, as one of just 25 HDI-certified companies worldwide (and the only healthcare organization) to provide its employees with world-class support.

Facility Design

Project Team Vista Award (2003)
Bronson was awarded the Project Team Vista Award by the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) of the American Hospital Association. The award recognizes the teamwork achieved by all the partners involved in building The New Bronson. ASHE bestows just one such award nationally each year.

Interiorscape Magazine's Best Project Award (2001)
Bronson and Foliage Design Systems of Western Michigan were awarded one of Interiorscape Magazine's Best Project Awards for 2001 for the Garden Atrium project in The New Bronson, one of 19 projects in the country and the only healthcare facility honored.

Construction and Design Award (2001)
In June 2001, Bronson, Barton Malow/CSM, and Shepley, Bulfinch, Richardson and Abbott received the Engineering Society of Detroit's award for Construction and Design.

BSA Honor Award for Healthcare Facilities (2001)
SBRA and Bronson won the Honor Award in the Healthcare Facility Design Award program for 2001, co-sponsored by the Boston Society of Architects and the Healthcare Assembly. In competition with firms from across the U.S., SBRA was one of just two firms to win the Honor Award, the program's highest distinction for healthcare.

Pyramid Award (2001)
The Washtenaw Contractors Association acknowledged The New Bronson project with a Pyramid Award, as Project Team of the Year in the Michigan category. The award focuses on the exceptional unity of owner, designer and builder.

Associated Builders and Contractors Construction Award (2001)
Bronson won top honors, the Award of Excellence, in the Institutional Construction category of the Associated Builders and Contractors Construction Awards Program.

Award for Landscape Design (2001)
O'Boyle, Cowell, Blalock & Associates, Inc. received a Merit Award for their work on The New Bronson, from the Michigan chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects in the category of Landscape Architecture Design.