St. Joseph Medical Center has received the prestigious Consumer Choice Award for the 10th straight year for being identified as a preferred hospital in Tacoma by an independent survey of area residents by National Research Corp.

Winners of the Consumer Choice Award from 190 markets across the U.S. were announced Sept. 29 by National Research Corp. (NRC), an independent company that measures health care performance and improvement. The list of winners also was published in the Sept. 29 edition of Modern Healthcare, an industry publication.

“The Consumer Choice Award is another testament to our hospital’s success at meeting the needs of patients and families,” said Joe Wilczek, president and chief executive officer of the 6,500-employee Franciscan Health System, which includes St. Joseph Medical Center. “It acknowledges the special dedication, commitment to excellence and the superior skill that our physicians, nurses and other staff members demonstrate every day.”

Four questions from the NRC survey are rolled up into the results for the Consumer Choice Award:

·        Who has the best doctors?

·        Who has the best nurses?

·        Who provides the best overall quality?

·        Who has the best image and reputation?

Researchers at NRC surveyed more than 200,000 households, representing 400,000 consumers in the contiguous 48 states and the District of Columbia, in determining the elite list of Consumer Choice Award winners.

St. Joseph Medical Center and other winners of the Consumer Choice Award across America were selected by the community residents they serve. St. Joseph has received award every year for the past decade.

Founded in 1891 by the Sisters of St. Francis, St. Joseph Medical Center is the South Sound leader in open-heart surgery and other heart procedures. It is also a recognized leader in the use of advanced medical technology, such as the Gamma Knife and Da Vinci Surgical System Robot, for minimally invasive procedures.

National Research Corp., based in Lincoln, Neb., is online at www.nationalresearch.com. The company’s performance assessments offer the tangible measurement of health service quality demanded by consumers, employers, industry accreditation organizations and lawmakers.