Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center Awarded an “A” for Patient Safety by Hospital Safety Score
December 10, 2012Saint Mary’s is One of Three Arkansas Hospitals to Earn an A!
Russellville, Arkansas, December 10, 2012 – Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center was honored with an “A” Hospital Safety Score by The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits. The A score was awarded in the latest update to the Hospital Safety ScoreSM, the A, B, C, D or F scores assigned to U.S. hospitals based on preventable medical errors, injuries accidents, and infections. The Hospital Safety Score was compiled under the guidance of the nation’s leading experts on patient safety and is designed to give the public information they can use to protect themselves and their families.
“Saint Mary’s is proud to be considered among the safest hospitals in Arkansas and the nation,” stated Donnie Frederic, Saint Mary’s Chief Executive Officer. “This recognition was achieved through ongoing process improvement and a strong culture of teamwork and caring. There is no doubt that our team of dedicated healthcare professionals is committed to improving patient outcomes and it is this commitment that makes Saint Mary’s the patients’ choice for healthcare in our region.”
“Hospitals like this that earn an A have demonstrated their commitment to their patients and their community,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “I congratulate Saint Mary’s for its safety excellence, and look forward to the day when all hospitals will match this standard.”
To see Saint Mary’s scores as they compare nationally and locally, visit the Hospital Safety Score website at www.hospitalsafetyscore.org, which also provides information on how the public can protect themselves and loved ones during a hospital stay. People can also check their local hospital’s score on the free mobile app, available at www.hospitalsafetyscore.org.
Calculated under the guidance of The Leapfrog Group’s nine-member Blue Ribbon Expert Panel, the Hospital Safety Score uses 26 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to produce a single score representing a hospital’s overall capacity to keep patients safe from infections, injuries, and medical and medication errors. The panel includes: John Birkmeyer (University of Michigan), Ashish Jha (Harvard University), Lucian Leape (Harvard University), Arnold Millstein (Stanford University), Peter Pronovost (Johns Hopkins University), Patrick Romano (University of California, Davis), Sara Singer (Harvard University), Tim Vogus (Vanderbilt University), and Robert Wachter (University of California, San Francisco).
About Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center
Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center is a 170-bed acute care hospital. With a medical staff of more than 111 active physicians in 18 specialties, Saint Mary’s offers a wide range of quality healthcare services to residents of west central Arkansas, including cardiac catheterization, surgery, diagnostic radiology, cancer treatment, rehabilitation therapy, women and children’s services, home health and 24-hour emergency services. Saint Mary’s employs over 900 healthcare professionals who are dedicated to providing quality care with courtesy and compassion. For more information, visit www.SaintMarysRegional.com Saint Mary’s is a part of Capella Healthcare, which partners with communities to build strong local healthcare systems that are known for high quality patient care and excellent service. Based in Franklin, Tenn., Capella owns and/or operates Capella owns and/or operates 15 acute care and specialty hospital facilities in seven states. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.CapellaHealthcare.com
About The Leapfrog Group
The Leapfrog Group (www.leapfroggroup.org) is a national nonprofit organization using the collective leverage of large purchasers of health care to initiate breakthrough improvements in the safety, quality, and affordability of health care for Americans. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey allows purchasers to structure their contracts and purchasing to reward the highest performing hospitals. The Leapfrog Group was founded in November 2000 with support from the Business Roundtable and national funders, and is now independently operated with support from its purchaser and other members.
###