Blessing Hospital has earned its second, consecutive grade of “A” for patient safety from a leading national healthcare consumer group. Blessing was one of only 823 hospitals nationwide and 38 in Illinois named among the safest by the Leapfrog Group for spring 2017.
The Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit organization committed to driving quality, safety, and transparency in the U.S. health care system assigns A, B, C, D and F letter grades to hospitals nationwide. Developed under the guidance of an expert panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 30 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign 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.
“If we can compare this accomplishment to the world of sports for a moment, we know that repeating as a champion is very difficult,” said Maureen Kahn, RN, MHA, MSN, president/chief executive officer, Blessing Health System. “For the Medical Staff and employees of Blessing Hospital to earn an “A” safety grade from Leapfrog for two consecutive survey periods – fall 2016 and spring 2017 - is a testament to their ability to never take their eye off the ball, resulting in an unwavering commitment to reducing errors, infections, and accidents that can harm patients.”
“The winners in this situation are the patients,” Kahn concluded.
“Hospitals that earn top marks nationally in the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, have achieved the highest safety standards in the country,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “That takes commitment from every member of the hospital staff, who all deserve thanks and congratulations when their hospitals achieve an ‘A’ Safety Grade.”
To see Blessing Hospital’s full grade, and to access consumer-friendly patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetygrade.org or follow The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade on Twitter or Facebook. Consumers can also download the free Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade mobile app for Apple and Android devices.