Case Study: Northern Westchester Hospital achieves top‑1% HCAHPS responsiveness and boosted patient satisfaction with Stryker (Vocera nurse‑call integration)

Vocera with Nurse Call Integration Boosts Patient Satisfaction at Northern Westchester Hospital (Mount Kisco, NY)

Northern Westchester Hospital, an award‑winning community hospital in Mount Kisco, NY, committed to patient‑and family‑centered care, sought to improve patients’ perception of staff responsiveness. Although their HCAHPS scores were in the top 10%, leaders identified delays in the nurse‑call workflow—calls routed through operators and relayed to nurses—as a barrier to achieving consistent, top‑1% patient satisfaction.

NWH redesigned workflows and integrated Vocera hands‑free communication with their nurse call system, coupled with staff training, bedside shift handoffs, communication boards, staffing dyads and a clear escalation path. After piloting in Maternity and rolling out to medical‑surgical units, responsiveness scores jumped to the top 1% nationally within months, producing faster response times, more direct patient‑nurse contact, and stronger patient experience metrics.

Northern Westchester Hospital

Joel Seligman

President and CEO