Shared patient rooms are the norm at hospitals nationwide, but not at Verde Valley Medical Center. With the completion of VVMC’s $39 million expansion project--a project which included a new, 29-bed medical surgical unit and a new, 20-bed telemetry unit—all of VVMC’s medical-surgical, telemetry and gynecology/obstetric  nursing units  now are private rooms.

The commitment to private rooms came as a result of research which identified two areas of benefits.

Clinical Benefits

• VVMC is known for its low hospital-acquired infection rates—lower than both state and national averages. Private rooms reduce the overall rate of infection, and reduce the risk of cross infection from one patient to another.

• Private rooms allow better privacy for physicians and other caregivers to speak candidly to their patients, and for patients to feel more comfortable asking questions of those caregivers.

• Private rooms allow better compliance with the federal privacy laws, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPAA).

• The risk for medication errors is reduced in private rooms.

• Private rooms have been found to reduce stress in patients, and even speed recovery time.
Patient Satisfaction

• Patients have fewer interruptions when only one set of caregivers is entering the room.

• Patients feel more comfortable receiving personal care when their privacy is assured.

• In private rooms, each patient has their own bathroom.

• In private rooms, patients are not exposed to the television, telephone calls and visitors of potential roommates—and, there is no concern regarding incompatibility among patient roommates or their visitors.

• Patients report greater satisfaction when they have their own room.

In addition, all patient rooms at VVMC have windows for natural light, and most rooms have sleeper chairs to comfortably accommodate visitors. VVMC also recently installed the “Guest Network” to permit wireless internet access in all patient rooms.

“We’re excited to be able to offer this level of service to our community,” said Hospital President James J. Bleicher, M.D. “It’s better for patients—clinically and psychologically.  It’s what each of us would choose for our own family and friends.”