Hospitals take more formal surveys from Medicare very seriously because the Affordable Care Act ties some hospital payments each year to how patients rate the facilities. Medical Park received a $22,000 bonus from Medicare in part because of sterling patient satisfaction surveys. Novant Health is Medical Park's parent company, and none of their dozen or so other hospitals even come close to rating that high on patient satisfaction. Figuring out why Medical Park did so well is complicated. First, says staff surgeon Scott Berger, this isn't your typical hospital. "It kind of feels, almost like a mom-and-pop shop," he says.
