Leapfrog Group awards Providence Hospitals an A safety rating
May 5, 2015
COLUMBIA, SC – Providence Hospitals has been recognized for its dedication to patient safety by being awarded an A grade in the Spring 2015 Hospital Safety Score, which rates how well hospitals protect patients from preventable medical errors, injuries and infections within the hospital.
The Hospital Safety Score is the gold standard rating for patient safety, compiled under the guidance of the nation’s leading patient safety experts and administered by The Leapfrog Group, a national, nonprofit hospital safety watchdog. This A grade is one of the most meaningful honors a hospital can achieve. As the first and only hospital safety rating to be peer-reviewed in the Journal of Patient Safety, the Score is free to the public and designed to give consumers information they can use to protect themselves and their families when facing a hospital stay.
Forty-five hospitals in South Carolina received a Spring 2015 Hospital Safety Score from The Leapfrog Group. Twelve received an A grade, only one of which is located within the Richland/Lexington county lines: Providence Hospitals.
“Patient safety represents the pinnacle objective of health care. Reducing and eliminating preventable errors, injuries and infections is imperative when your team has worked tirelessly to confront an individual’s illness,” says Interim CEO Terrence Kessler. “We are proud of our Hospital Safety Score and will continue our commitment to this crucial part of care.”
“Providence’s A grade validates its achievement in preventing harm within the hospital, and we are proud to recognize the efforts of the care providers and staff,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group.
Developed 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 April 2015, with about 31 percent receiving an A grade.
To see the complete scoring for Providence Hospitals, and to access consumer-friendly tips for patients and loved ones visiting the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetyscore.org or follow The Hospital Safety Score on Twitter or Facebook. Consumers can also download the free Hospital Safety Score mobile app for Apple and Android devices.
About Providence Hospitals, a ministry of the Sisters of Charity Health System
Providence Hospitals is the leading provider of cardiovascular and orthopedic services in the Midlands. Providence is composed of two hospitals, 13 physician practices, a network of rehabilitation centers, two sleep centers and a school of cardiac diagnostics. It is an accredited chest pain center. In total, Providence employs more than 2,000 dedicated staff.
Founded in 1938 by the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine, Providence is known statewide for outstanding clinical quality and compassionate care. The Providence open-heart surgery program has ranked consistently in the top 15 percent of open-heart programs for the past six and one-half years. Both the orthopedics and cardiac services have received the South Carolina BlueCross BlueShield Blue Distinction Center designation. For more information, visit www.providencehospitals.com.
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 Hospital Safety Score, 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.
