The independent national hospital watchdog group, The Leapfrog Group, announced its fall 2017 hospital safety scores. The Safety Grade assigns letter grades of A, B, C, D and F to hospitals nationwide based on their performance in preventing medical errors, infections and other harms. St. Elizabeth Edgewood and Ft. Thomas were both awarded an “A” for their commitment to keeping patients safe and meeting the highest safety standards in the U.S.
“We strongly believe the patient is the center of our universe,” says Garren Colvin, President and CEO of St. Elizabeth Healthcare. “Our families, neighbors, colleagues and friends deserve a hospital that makes their safety and high-quality patient care the top priority. These superior Leapfrog grades are a reflection of St. Elizabeth’s commitment to providing our patients with this level of care.”
“It takes consistent, unwavering dedication to patients to achieve the highest standards of patient safety. An ‘A’ Safety Grade recognizes hospitals for this accomplishment,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We congratulate the clinicians, Board, management and staff of St. Elizabeth for showing the country what it means to put patient safety first.”
Developed under the guidance of a Blue Ribbon National Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign A, B, C, D and F grades to more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals twice per year. It is calculated by top patient safety experts, peer reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public.
To see St. Elizabeth’s full grades, and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetygrade.org and follow the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade on Facebook.
Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for 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. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog’s other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections.
St. Elizabeth Healthcare operates six facilities throughout Northern Kentucky and more than 115 primary care and specialty office locations in Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio. St. Elizabeth is sponsored by the Diocese of Covington and is a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network. St. Elizabeth is a mission-based organization committed to improving the health of the communities it serves, providing more than $104 million in uncompensated care and benefit to the community in 2015. For more information, visit www.stelizabeth.com.
