Memorial Medical Center has been named by consumers as one of the top hospitals in the United States.

The nonprofit hospital received the 2013-14 Consumer Choice Award from National Research Corp. of Lincoln, Neb., for the ninth year in a row. Memorial Medical Center was one of eight hospitals in Illinois and 277 nationwide to be named as winners of the Consumer Choice Award.

“We’re grateful for the trust and confidence that consumers have placed in us to recognize us with this prestigious honor once again,” said Edgar J. Curtis, president and chief executive officer for Memorial Health System. “This award is a reflection of our vision to be a national leader for excellence in patient care.”

The Consumer Choice Award identifies the top hospitals that healthcare consumers have chosen as having the highest quality and image in markets throughout the nation. The award is based on the hospital that possesses the best overall quality, best overall image and reputation, best doctors and best nurses.

Award recipient were announced in the Oct. 21 issue of Modern Healthcare and are available on the National Research Corp.’s website.

Winners are determined by consumer perceptions on multiple quality and image ratings collected in the company’s market insights survey.
More than 270,000 households nationwide were surveyed, making the study the largest and most comprehensive of its kind, according to National Research Corp. The study has a margin of error of plus or minus 0.2 percent at the national level.

From the households surveyed, hospitals named by consumers are analyzed and ranked based on their Core Based Statistical Areas as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, with the winning facilities being ranked the highest.