Lakeland HealthCare recently garnered several awards for clinical care as well as for the health and wellness of its 4,000 associates.

Lakeland HealthCare received a 2014 Governor’s Award of Excellence for outstanding inpatient clinical achievement in the acute care hospital setting. The federal government recognizes Lakeland Medical Center, St. Joseph and Lakeland Hospital, Niles as a single entity; thus, the recognition applies to both hospitals.

“We are grateful to be recognized by the Governor for our work to improve the quality and service of the care we provide to our community,” said Loren B. Hamel, MD, President & CEO, Lakeland HealthCare.

To receive the honor, granted jointly by MPRO and the office of Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, Lakeland improved the quality and efficiency of the healthcare delivery system in four clinical topic areas (acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, pneumonia, and surgical care) and in eight patient experience of care measures (nurse communication, doctor communication, hospital staff responsiveness, pain management, medicine communication, hospital cleanliness and quietness, discharge information, and overall hospital rating). In addition, acute care hospitals were required to meet additional overall criteria including the submission of a process improvement plan.

The Governor’s Award of Excellence program was developed in 2003. The award criteria are based on the National Quality Strategy, Partnership for Patients and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Quality Improvement Organizations’ 10th Statement of Work.

MPRO is an independent nonprofit and a national leader in healthcare quality improvement and medical review. MPRO serves as the federally designated Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) for Michigan under contract with the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Lakeland HealthCare is included in the 2014 edition of “100 Great Community Hospitals” by Becker’s Hospital Review. The list is based on hospitals’ accolades, quality of care, and services provided to their patient populations.

The Becker’s Hospital Review editorial team selected hospitals for inclusion based on rankings and awards from iVantage Health Analytics, Truven Health Analytics, CareChex and American Hospital Association. iVantage recognitions considered include Healthstrong Hospitals, which are organizations in the top tier of iVantage’s Hospital Strength Index rankings, and the Top 100 Critical Access Hospital list, which indicates the critical access hospital performs as well or better at the median overall than all U.S. general acute-care hospitals in clinical and operational performance and financial outcomes. Inclusion on Truven Health Analytics’ 100 Top Hospitals list was also a factor.

Also, Lakeland HealthCare was recognized in Lansing in late April as a 2014 Governor’s Fitness Award Outstanding Healthy Workplace Diamond Level Winner in the Very Large Size Organization category.

The Governor’s Fitness Awards is an annual event hosted by Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness, Health and Sports and the Michigan Fitness Foundation to honor individuals and organizations that are making a difference in their community.

Lakeland HealthCare is a non-profit, community-owned health system, which includes three hospitals, an outpatient surgery center, rehabilitation centers, long-term care, hospice, home care services, and physician practices.

In 2013, Lakeland Medical Center, St. Joseph and Lakeland Hospital, Niles were named among the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals as ranked by Truven Health Analytics. Lakeland has over 4,000 employees who provide clinical and support services at locations throughout southwest Michigan, and partners with more than 400 affiliated physicians and other providers.

For more information, visit www.lakelandhealth.org.