Shasta Regional Medical Center was honored earlier this week with an “A” Hospital Safety Score℠ by The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit organization run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits.
The first annual Hospital Safety Score℠ was calculated under the guidance of The Leapfrog Group’s Blue Ribbon Expert Panel. Using publicly available information, the panel graded more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals based on data that tracks preventable errors and medical complications, such as hospital-acquired infections and medication mix-ups. U.S. hospitals were assigned an A, B, C, D or F for their safety. Only 729 of the hospitals graded nationwide received an “A.”
“Patient safety is at the core of everything we do here at Shasta Regional,” said Cyndy Gordon, Shasta Regional’s Chief Nursing Officer. “This honor highlights the devotion and hard work by the physicians, nurses and staff to deliver the highest standards of patient safety and quality care.”
Shasta Regional has made vast upgrades in its technology systems with regard to patient safety from the implementation of bedside verification to the conversion to electronic medical records. “Our investment in the latest technology is one more way we are committed to the community we serve to deliver superior quality health care and the highest level of patient safety,” said Randall Hempling, CEO at Shasta Regional.
All total, eleven hospitals from Prime Healthcare Services, the parent company of Shasta Regional, were awarded an “A” for Patient Safety.
“It’s The Leapfrog Group’s goal to give patients the information they need and deserve before even entering a hospital,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We congratulate the hospitals that earned an ‘A’ and we look forward to the day when all hospitals in the U.S. will earn the highest scores for putting patient safety first.”
To see the hospitals’ scores as they compare nationally and locally, visit www.hospitalsafetyscore.org, the Hospital Safety Score℠ website, which also provides information on how the public can protect themselves and loved ones during a hospital stay.