The Leapfrog Group, a leading national nonprofit watchdog on hospital quality and safety, recently announced that EvergreenHealth received an “A” for patient safety in the latest Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades.
It is one of only 11 hospitals in Washington and 750 of 2,660 nationwide to achieve an A rating this spring.
“At EvergreenHealth, our more than 5,000 employees, providers and volunteers are dedicated to what we call our Community of Absolute Safety,” said EvergreenHealth CEO Bob Malte in a press release. “This dedication helps to ensure our patients receive the safest care, with the best quality and most exceptional service – it is at the core of what inspires us. We are proud that this commitment has resulted in earning the highest rating from The Leapfrog Group once again; however, recognition is not what drives us. We are continually focused on partnering with our patients to achieve the best outcomes.”
The Spring 2018 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades assign letter grades – A, B, C, D and F – to general acute-care hospitals in the U.S. Of the more than 2,600 hospitals graded, 750 earned an A grade, 683 earned a B, 879 earned a C, 145 earned a D and 22 hospitals earned an F. In Washington state, 11 earned an A, including EvergreenHealth’s partner hospital in the Eastside Health Alliance, Overlake Medical Center.
These biannual rankings are based on 27 quality measures compiled by The Leapfrog Group, CMS, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the CDC and the American Hospital Association. Areas of measurement include nurse communication, hand hygiene adherence and surgical site infection rates, among others. The rankings are calculated by top patient safety experts and they are peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Hospitals do not pay to be evaluated by Leapfrog nor can they opt out of the process.
Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national non-profit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the quality and safety of American health care. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey collects and transparently reports hospital performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions.
As an additional main initiative, The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade strives to help consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents and infections.
“This is the only national rating of how well hospitals protect patients from preventable harm and death, such as medical errors, infections and injuries,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group in a press release. “Receiving an ‘A’ Safety Grade means a hospital is among the best in the country for preventing these terrible problems and putting their patients first, 24 hours a day.”
See Leapfrog’s full report at www.hospitalsafetygrade.org.
