On April 24, The Leapfrog Group released the most recent edition of its Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades. Salem Hospital was awarded an 'A' for protecting patients from harm and meeting the highest safety standards in the U.S.
Salem Hospital is one of 12 in Oregon to earn the survey’s highest grade. The Safety Grade assigns an 'A', 'B', 'C', 'D' or 'F' grade to hospitals across the country based on their performance in preventing medical errors, infections and other harm among patients in their care.
“Receiving an 'A' Safety Grade means a hospital is among the best in the country for preventing these terrible problems and putting their patients first, 24 hours a day,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group.
Using data from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Leapfrog Hospital Survey and secondary data sources, The Leapfrog Group graded 2,479 hospitals in the United States based on 12 process and structural measures and 15 outcome measures. For the 2018 ranking, CMS data reporting periods ranged from 2014 to 2017, depending on the metric used and a hospital’s reporting ability.
“When deciding on health care, we recommend community members do their research and ask friends, family and medical providers they may know, in order to make an informed decision for their care. Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades is potentially one piece of that puzzle,” said Pamela Cortez, Salem Health director of patient safety and clinical support.
The Leapfrog ratings, updated twice per year, center on acute care hospitals and omit facilities such as critical access hospitals, specialty hospitals and federal hospitals due primarily to missing data. To see Salem Hospital’s full grade details, and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetygrade.org.