“A” in Patient Safety
Six hospitals affiliated with University Hospitals were honored with an “A” Hospital Safety Score by The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits.
University Hospitals Case Medical Center, University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center, University Hospitals Bedford Medical Center, University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center and joint venture hospitals St. John Medical Center and Southwest General received the top scores in the latest update to the Hospital Safety ScoreSM. The “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” scores assigned to U.S. hospitals are based on preventable medical errors, injuries accidents and infections.
“We are proud of this extraordinary achievement, which reflects University Hospitals’ ongoing commitment to quality and safety for our patients,” said William Annable, MD, Chief Quality Officer and Director of UH Quality Institute.
“Safety should come first for our families when we pick a hospital, because errors and infections are common and deadly,” said Leah Binder, president & CEO of The Leapfrog Group, which produces the Hospital Safety Score. “No hospital is perfect, but we congratulate the Board, clinicians, administration, and staff of University Hospitals for achieving an “A” and showing us that you made the well-being of you patients your top priority.”
Calculated under the guidance of Leapfrog’s Blue Ribbon Expert Panel, the Hospital Safety Score uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to produce a single “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” score representing a hospital’s overall capacity to keep patients safe from preventable harm. More than 2,500 U.S. general hospitals were assigned scores in spring 2014, with about 32-percent receiving an “A” grade.
The Hospital Safety Score’s website offers a full analysis of the data and methodology used in determining grades. Complete details can be viewed at www.hospitalsafetyscore.org.