Putting patients first, hospital making care more personal

Some hospitals are trying to make their patients' stays a little less unpleasant. They're members of an organization called Planetree, which was founded by a patient named Angelica Thieriot, who had a not-so-good hospital experience back in the 1970s. Today Planetree has certified, or "designated," 30 hospitals and nursing homes in the U.S. and four countries as meeting a specific list of criteria that qualify them as providing truly patient-centered care. Among the 14 Planetree hospitals in the U.S. is Fauquier Hospital, a 97-bed facility in Warrenton, Va., on the outskirts of Washington, D.C. CEO Rodger Baker says there was an element of business to his decision to transform his hospital into a more patient-centered place.