Only system in the state to receive straight A’s from The Leapfrog Group
October 31, 2017
Burlington, MA – The hospitals within the Lahey Health System perform exceptionally well when it comes to patient safety, according to ratings recently released from The Leapfrog Group. Every hospital in the system – Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Winchester Hospital, Beverly Hospital and Addison Gilbert Hospital – each received the highest possible “A” rating in the agency’s fall patient safety scores.
Lahey Health is the only system in Massachusetts where every hospital received an “A” rating.
The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit watchdog organization focusing on quality and safety in American hospitals, 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.
“Every day our employees and staff work tirelessly to provide the highest quality care to our patients and their families,” said Howard Grant, JD, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lahey Health. “We are honored to be recognized for our commitment to patient safety and for the exceptional care our hospitals are providing the communities.”
The Hospital Safety Score is used to rate hospitals for patient safety and is designed to give consumers information they can use to protect themselves and their families when facing a hospital stay.
“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 Lahey Health for showing the country what it means to put patient safety first.”
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses national performance measures from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Leapfrog Hospital Survey, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the American Hospital Association’s Annual Survey and Health Information Technology Supplement.
The peer-reviewed Safety Grade includes 30 measures, all currently in use by national measurement and reporting programs, and is assigned to more than 2,600 general acute-care hospitals across the nation twice annually.
A full description of the data and methodology used in determining grades is available online at www.hospitalsafetygrade.org.
About Lahey Health
Lahey Health is an integrated health care system committed to providing the full continuum of health care services close to where patients live and work. The system is comprised of nationally recognized, award-winning hospitals, physicians, behavioral health services, and post-acute programs including home health services, skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities, and senior care resources. Lahey Health includes nearly 1,400 locally based physicians throughout northeastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. Lahey Health includes Lahey Hospital & Medical Center; Beverly Hospital; Addison Gilbert Hospital; Winchester Hospital; Lahey Health Continuing Care and Lahey Health Behavioral Services, more than 30 primary care physician practices, and multiple outpatient and satellite specialty care facilities. For more information, visit LaheyHealth.org.
About The Leapfrog Group
Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit 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. 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.