Awards and Recognition

At Northern Light AR Gould Hospital, we provide high quality clinical care and exceptional service with an emphasis on patient safety and achieving great outcomes. We are proud of our role in advancing healthcare in our community and the partnerships we maintain with local businesses, educational institutions, and community health organizations.

We have been recognized by national, state, and local organizations for our work in these areas. Some of our recent awards and recognitions include:

Women and Children’s Unit Ranks Among Top Maine Hospitals
Independent survey ranks AR Gould Hospital among the top Maine hospitals in three measured categories related to maternity care.  Rankings from independent industry watchdog Leapfrog and the Maine Health Management Coalition Foundation (MHMC-F) show the Women and Children’s Unit at the Presque Isle hospital meets or exceeds industry standards in all three of the ranked categories - early elective delivery, episiotomy and maternity care processes.
 
Lab Practice Cited by Accrediting Agency as Model Practice
A routine inspection of the laboratory at AR Gould Hospital led to an unexpected opportunity for the hospital to once again be a leader by example after the accrediting agency responsible for conducting the inspections asked to use a AR Gould Hospital-employee designed checklist as a model for laboratories across the nation.  AR Gould Hospital’s main laboratory in Presque Isle passed its biennial inspection, successfully earning its accreditation for the next two years.
 
Website Earns Best In Class Award
Greystone.net and Krames-StayWell, selected the AR Gould Hospital website as one of the winners for their prestigious “Best in Class” awards in the category of SEO/SEM (Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing). This marks the sixth award AR Gould Hospital has earned for its website, and it’s the hospital’s biggest award achievement to date.
 
Leapfrog Group recognizes AR Gould Hospital with “A” Patient Safety Score in Spring Survey
AR Gould Hospital earned a top grade in patient safety by an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits. The Hospital Safety Score, released by The Leapfrog Group, showed AR Gould Hospital receiving an “A” ranking in the industry watchdog’s Spring 2014 assessment of U.S. hospitals when it comes preventing medical errors, injuries, accidents, and infections.
 
Avatar Recognizes AR Gould Hospital for Exceeding Patient Expectations
AR Gould Hospital has again earned the prestigious Exceeding Patient Expectations Award from Avatar Solutions, which measures and compares hospital safety and patient satisfaction based on patient, employee, and physician surveys.  The Exceeding Patient Expectations Award is presented to healthcare organizations that deliver care beyond what is expected by patients in a number of areas including quality of care and reliability. 
 
AHC One of Few to Receive Five Stars
AR Gould Hospital’s Aroostook Health Center in Mars Hill was one of only four Maine nursing homes earlier this year to receive a five star ranking in all categories of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) online Nursing Home Compare Scores.  U.S. News and World Reports published a listing of all the facilities in Maine and their ranking, indicating that AHC was the only nursing home north of Winthrop and Farmington to receive the highest ranking for their overall performance in health inspections, nurse staffing and quality of medical care. According to the report, 30 percent of all nursing homes in the state received the overall five-star rating.
 
AHC Approved as Pioneer ACO Participant
CMS is also recognizing AHC in another way, recently approving the facility as a participant with the newly legislated healthcare model for the chronically ill, Pioneer ACO (Accountable Care Organization).  Previously, Medicare patients had to comply with a 3-day rule that required they spend three nights in acute care prior to being approved to go into a skilled nursing facility. AHC’s participation in the Pioneer ACO gives the facility a waiver from that requirement, meaning an ACO provider can refer patients directly to AHC without requiring an inpatient evaluation or prior treatment in an acute care setting.
 
Northern Light Wellness first in nation to earn NCQA Accreditation
An innovative health delivery model that is touching the lives of more than 5,000 patients in northern Maine and nearly 50,000 statewide is the first in the nation to earn accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).  That news came from NCQA to officials with Northern Light Wellness, which is led in Aroostook County by AR Gould Hospital as a member of Northern Light Health.  NCQA is considered the gold standard for improving healthcare across the Country.

Mammography Service achieves impressive zero deficiencies in annual inspection
A recent annual inspection has reaffirmed that the mammography services offered at AR Gould Hospital continue to deliver excellent results for patients. Not only did the unit pass the inspection, but they achieved an impressive result of zero deficiencies.
 
AHA honors AR Gould Hospital with Second Consecutive Most Wired Award
For the second consecutive year, use of technology to improve patient care has landed AR Gould Hospital on the American Hospital Association’s (AHA) top 25 list of the nation’s “most wired” small and rural hospitals. AR Gould Hospital is one of six Northern Light Health hospitals cited as being at the forefront of using information technology to improve patient care, based on the results of a 2014 survey published by the AHA. 
 
Joint Commission recognizes AR Gould Hospital as 2013 Top Performer
AR Gould Hospital has been recognized as a 2013 Top Performer on Key Quality Measures^® by The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of health care organizations in the United States. AR Gould Hospital, the County’s largest and most comprehensive healthcare provider, was recognized as part of The Joint Commission’s 2014 annual report “America’s Hospitals: Improving Quality and Safety” for attaining and sustaining excellence in accountability measure performance for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, and surgical care.
 
Crown Emergency Care named 2014 EMS Service of the Year for Region 5
Crown Emergency Care, a division of AR Gould Hospital, was recently honored at the 34^th Annual Atlantic Partners Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Seminar as the 2014 Service of the Year for Region 5. Each year Atlantic Partners EMS honors members of the EMS community for their contributions to the profession, to their community and to their peers.  Awards are presented to EMS agencies that have a strong community connection, an integrated program for community injury prevention/education, and a desire to improve the EMS system as a whole.
 
Maine Tobacco-Free Hospital Network honors AR Gould Hospital with another Gold Star Award
AR Gould Hospital was recognized by the Maine Tobacco-Free Hospital Network for its excellence in creating a tobacco-free environment for patients, employees, and the community.  The County’s largest and most comprehensive provider of healthcare services received a gold star award, the highest level of recognition given by the Hospital Network.
 
Primary Care Sites work on Patient-Centered Medical Home Model
Our four Primary Care Sites are NCQA PCMH recognized practices and submit annually to maintain this recognition.

Some of our other awards and recognitions include:

• 2012 Avatar Exceeding Patient Expectations Award
• 2012 Avatar Blue Sail Award
• 2012 Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year
• Maine Tobacco-Free Hospital Network Gold Star Hospital
• Exceeding Expectations Award, Avatar International
• Exemplary Service - Most Improved Award for Outpatient Surgery, Avatar International
• "A" Hospital Safety Score from The Leapfrog Group