Cottage gets awards from large healthcare firm

BY COLBY FRAZIER
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

Of four outstanding patient satisfaction awards given by VHA Inc., a health care alliance that consists of more than 1,400 hospitals, three went to Cottage Health System, according to a statement released yesterday by the local nonprofit healthcare provider.
Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital won the “top performer” award after it received patient satisfaction scores that placed it in the top one percent of peer hospitals.


“The VHA awards are the result of the hard work and compassion of our employees and their dedicated focus on patients each and every day,” said Ron Werft, president and CEO of Cottage Health System. “It’s truly an honor to be recognized by VHA for the incredible work performed by the dedicated staff at Cottage.”
Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital and Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital were recognized by VHA for improving their patient satisfaction scores over the pat year, with Santa Barbara ranked in the top 20 percent among peer hospitals and Goleta placing in the top 25 percent.
A spokeswoman for Cottage Health System said the data used to determine the VHA awards is collected through patient surveys.