“A” Grade For Safety
MONTROSE, CO- Passing the test: Montrose Memorial Hospital received an “A” rating from a national watchdog organization focused on health care safety and quality.
The Leapfrog Group released the fall 2020 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades. Assigning “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” and “F” letter grades to general acute-care hospitals in the U.S., the Safety Grade is the only rating focused entirely on how well hospitals protect patients from preventable errors, accidents, injuries, and infections.
“We are pleased to receive this national recognition,” said MMHI Board Chair Dr. Kjersten Davis. “It speaks to the outstanding job that our employees do every day to ensure that our patients receive the highest quality effective, safe and compassionate care.”
This year’s list of graded hospitals indicated 34% of hospitals were graded an “A” – demonstrating again that Montrose Memorial Hospital is in the top echelon of hospitals nationwide. Last year Montrose Memorial Hospital was named Colorado’s only five time Top 100 Rural & Community Hospital. Additionally, the hospital was named a Five Star Hospital by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is reviewed by a National Expert Panel and receives guidance from Johns Hopkins Medicine’s Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality. The biannual Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is independently assessed, peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. It shares critical patient safety information to consumers, so that they can make informed decisions about where they seek care.
Data used to calculate Hospital Safety Grades include up to 27 measures, gathered primarily from the Leapfrog Hospital Survey and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). While the data does not yet include findings collected during the height of COVID-19, the data offers an indication of how well hospitals implemented fundamental safety precautions prior to the pandemic, an important factor in preparedness. The Hospital Safety Grade is updated every six months and future updates will incorporate pandemic response periods.