Planetree Distinction for patient-centered care

Elmhurst Hospital is proud to achieve the prestigious Planetree Distinction, which recognizes the hospital’s achievement and innovation in the delivery of patient-centered care.

Before a healthcare organization can achieve Planetree Distinction, it must meet a rigorous set of criteria that patients, family members and healthcare professionals have indicated are elements that matter the most when it comes to their healthcare experience.

Planetree has more than a 40-year history of partnering with providers across the continuum of care to transform organizational cultures and deliver healthcare that puts the needs of individuals first. Elmhurst Hospital was first recognized as a Planetree Designated Patient-Centered Hospital in 2012 and re-designated in 2015. The hospital received Planetree Distinction in 2013.

“Receiving Planetree Distinction takes more than just having a state-of-the-art facility,” says Mary Lou Mastro, System President and CEO of Edward-Elmhurst Health. “Our employees, physicians and volunteers have adopted and hold most valuable the Planetree philosophy of patient-centered care.”

In 2018, Elmhurst Hospital earned Planetree's highest level of achievement: Gold Certification for Excellence in Person-Centered Care, becoming one of only 88 healthcare organizations worldwide, including 26 in the U.S., with Gold Certification.

Gold Certification represents Planetree’s highest level of achievement in person-centered care, based on evidence and standards. Person-centered healthcare prioritizes the active participation of patients and their families throughout the healthcare process with an emphasis on partnership, compassion, transparency, inclusion and quality.

“The Planetree philosophy has become so ingrained in what we do that it is simply second nature to us,” says Pamela Dunley, President & CEO, Elmhurst Hospital.