Licking Memorial Hospital (LMH) recently received a 10th consecutive “A” grade in the Spring 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade.  LMH ranks among the safest hospitals in the U.S. after earning the highest grade from The Leapfrog Group.  Developed under the guidance of an expert panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is based on adopted patient safety practices and uses 27 measures to assign letter grades to more than 2,700 U.S. hospitals twice per year. 
 
The Leapfrog Group’s spring survey found that the hospitals bettered prepared to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic were those that have consistently earned an “A” grade and have a consistent pattern of protecting patients from errors, accidents and injuries.  Since safety and quality are embedded in the daily routine at all levels of the organization, the top ranked hospitals, such as LMH, responded rapidly to the evolving pandemic.  Also, the safety culture in straight “A” hospitals consistently shows a commitment to their workforce, empowering them to ask questions and share safety concerns.
 
“The pandemic emphasized how much we rely on healthcare workers,” Licking Memorial Health Systems President & CEO Rob Montagnese said.  “LMH’s dedication and vigilance to protecting patients was vital to our preparedness to stop the spread of COVID-19 and created a high level of organizational resilience.  As we emerge from the pandemic, our organization has grown stronger and we continue to make patient safety our top priority.”
 
The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit organization that rates hospitals’ safety performance, uses top patient safety experts to peer review and grade hospitals.  The scores are fully transparent and free to the public.  The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade focuses on a hospital’s ability to protect patients from preventable errors, accidents, injuries and infections.  Ratings are based on performance in patient safety practices such as infection prevention and responsiveness of the staff.  Grades are reported twice per year and provide the most complete picture of patient safety in the United States.  Earning an “A” grade shows LMH has exhibited excellence in the national database of patient safety measures and ranks among the top hospitals in the U.S. in preventing patient harm and medical errors. 
 
About The Leapfrog Group
Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the quality and safety of American health care.  The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey collects and transparently reports hospital performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions.  The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog’s other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections.  For more information about the Hospital Safety Score, please log on to HospitalSafetyScore.org.