Licking Memorial Hospital (LMH) recently received an 11th consecutive “A” grade in the Fall 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade.  The Leapfrog Group, a national watchdog organization focused on healthcare safety, assigns a letter grade to nearly 3,000 general acute-care hospitals in the United States based on how well they prevent medical errors, accidents, injuries and infections that may harm patients.  The Safety Grades reflect performance on more than 30 evidence-based measures of patient safety.
 
For the first time, several new measures were incorporated into the grade including post-operative sepsis, which results in suffering, disability, and sometimes death for an estimated 160,000 people per year in the United States.  All types of surgeries can put a patient at risk of infection that can lead to sepsis, the body’s extreme reaction to an infection.  Sepsis requires immediate treatment or the patient may experience lifelong complications including organ failure.  LMH staff closely monitor patients for signs of sepsis following surgical procedures, including a high heart rate, low blood pressure, fatigue, confusion and severe pain.
 
“LMH is dedicated and vigilant in our efforts to protect our patients and to provide safer health care to our community,” Licking Memorial Health Systems President & CEO Rob Montagnese said.  “Receiving the top rating indicates the commitment of our leadership and staff to develop and implement policies and protocols that prioritize patient safety, including our efforts to prevent harmful infections.”
 
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is advised by an expert panel of leading patient safety authorities from across the country and receives guidance from the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality.  Grades are updated biannually in the fall and spring.  For more information about LMH’s grade and state rankings, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org.
 
About The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on a hospital’s ability to prevent medical errors and harm to patients.  It is peer-reviewed, fully transparent, and free to the public.  It is issued by The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the quality and safety of American health care, founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers.  The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey and new Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions.