EvergreenHealth receives safety award

EvergreenHealth Receives “A” Rating for Hospital Safety

Kirkland, Wash. –The Leapfrog Group, a leading nonprofit watchdog organization on hospital quality and safety, has announced that EvergreenHealth once again received an “A” rating for patient safety. Leapfrog’s Hospital Safety Grades score hospitals across the country on how safe they keep their patients from medical errors, injuries, accidents and infections.

“At EvergreenHealth, safety is a shared responsibility, and it’s central to our mission to advance the health of every life we touch,” said Dr. Amy Beiter, chief executive officer of EvergreenHealth. “Every provider, staff member and volunteer is committed to earning the trust of our patients and families by working together to provide the highest quality care and service, exceptional outcomes and absolute safety.”

EvergreenHealth has historically been one of only 11 hospitals in Washington state to earn the highest “A” grade ranking. The latest Hospital Safety Grades assigned A grades to 13 of hospitals across the state, 11 of which are located in the Puget Sound region.

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year. Each hospital is assigned an A, B, C, D or F grade. 

Launched in 2012 as a way to reflect transparent hospital safety and practices, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades were developed under the guidance of a national expert panel and are calculated and peer-reviewed by top patient safety experts. The scores are based on publicly reported measures from national data sources, including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the American Hospital Association. Hospitals do not pay to be evaluated by Leapfrog nor can they opt out of the process.

Leapfrog aims to reduce the nearly half a million annual preventable deaths from hospital errors. By compelling health systems to define their level of care and publicly recognize safety concerns, Leapfrog safeguards patients from misinformation and safety quality, and allows consumers to make an informed decision about their well-being.

“To be recognized nationally as an ‘A’ hospital is an accomplishment the whole community should take pride in,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “Hospitals that earn an ‘A’ grade are making it a priority to protect patients from preventable medical harm and error. We congratulate hospital leaders, board members, staff, volunteers and clinicians who work so hard to earn this A.” 

See Leapfrog’s full report at www.hospitalsafetygrade.org.