Patient Care Philosophy

A Designated Planetree Patient-Centered Hospital

  “Designation identifies and recognizes those organizations that have made the cultural transformation in which every individual of that organization knows, believes in and employs the strategies of patient-centered care in every encounter. Designation demonstrates a level of organizational commitment to the Planetree philosophy that goes far beyond embracement of alternative treatment modalities…”
   -- Joseph Cappiello, Vice President of Accreditation Field Operations for the Joint Commission

In June 1992, Mid-Columbia Medical Center became the first hospital in the world to implement the Planetree philosophy of patient-centered care facility wide. In the ensuing years, MCMC was transformed into a one-of-a-kind center of healing, a place very different from what most people expect of a hospital.

While Planetree remains at the heart of the inpatient experience provided at Mid-Columbia Medical Center, its implementation represented only the beginning of what continues to be a remarkable evolutionary process. MCMC is equipped with the latest technologies for diagnosis and healing along with a comprehensive menu of both traditional hospital services and programs, and a broad range of integrated therapies.

It has adopted a far broader definition of health intended to address a person's emotional, spiritual, intellectual and environmental concerns in addition to physical needs. And, in its ongoing quest to meet its patients’ and their families’ needs around these five components of health, MCMC has evolved in unique and meaningful ways.

In 2007, MCMC was honored with the Designated Planetree Patient-Centered Hospital designation from Planetree, Inc..

According to Planetree, this designation recognizes MCMC’s achievement and innovation in fostering a culture within the hospital that prioritizes patient comfort, dignity, empowerment and well-being.

Mid-Columbia Medical Center was one of five hospitals to receive the Patient-Centered Hospital Designation in 2007, the pilot year of the designation initiative, and is the only hospital in the state of Oregon to have met the stringent criteria developed by Planetree to distinguish those hospitals nationwide doing the most advanced work in patient-centered care.

Guided by Planetree’s ten components of patient-centered care (Human Interaction; Access to Information; Family Involvement; Nutrition; A Healing Environment; Arts and Entertainment; Massage and Caring Touch; Spirituality and Diversity; Integrative Therapies; and Healthy Communities), since 1992, Mid-Columbia Medical Center has continued to implement substantial numbers of initiatives and practices designed to enhance the patient experience.

Mid-Columbia Medical Center continues to change the expectation of what a hospital should be…

At Planetree
    We believe...

  • That we are human beings, caring for other human beings.
  • We are all caregivers.
  • Care giving is best achieved through kindness and compassion.
  • Safe, accessible, high quality care is fundamental to patient-centered care.
  • In a holistic approach to meeting people's needs of body, mind and spirit.
  • Families, friends and loved ones are vital to the healing process.
  • Access to understandable health information can empower individuals to participate in their health care.
  • The opportunity for individuals to make personal choices related to their care is essential.
  • Physical environments can enhance healing, health and wellbeing.
  • Illness can be a transformational experience for patients, families and caregivers.