Contact: Caroline Cornish
207-662-5146 / caroline.cornish@mainehealth.org
PORTLAND, Maine – All five eligible MaineHealth hospitals – Franklin Memorial Hospital, Maine Medical Center, Mid Coast Hospital, Pen Bay Medical Center and Southern Maine Health Care – have received a fall 2020 Leapfrog Hospital Safety grade of ‘A,’ the highest hospital safety grade that Leapfrog offers.
Leapfrog assigns an ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, ‘D’ or ‘F’ grade to 2,600 U.S. acute-care hospitals across the country every six months. Grades are based on 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data. The peer-reviewed methodology evaluates a hospital’s performance in preventing medical errors, injuries, accidents, infections and other harms to patients in their care. Nationwide, 34 percent of hospitals received an ‘A’ grade this fall.
“This recognition by an independent, national evaluator of quality and safety are a reflection of the incredible work our teams do each and every day to deliver high-quality, safe patient-centered care,” said MaineHealth Chief Medical Officer Joan Boomsma, MD. “Safety is a top priority at MaineHealth.”
The news that every eligible MaineHealth hospital received an ‘A’ from Leapfrog comes just one week after Leapfrog named MaineHealth’s LincolnHealth, Pen Bay Medical Center, Waldo County General Hospital and Stephens Memorial Hospital among its 19 Top Rural Hospitals for 2020.
“As a Maine native, I'm especially gratified to see MaineHealth shine in Leapfrog ratings for safety, with all eligible MaineHealth hospitals earning an A for their safety. That means they demonstrate a relentless commitment to protecting their patients from errors and accidents," said Leah Binder, President and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. "But the achievement goes even beyond that. Four MaineHealth hospitals are recognized this year with Leapfrog's most elite national award, Top Rural Hospital Designations. This is an extraordinary feat in any year, but even more so in 2020 as hospitals have navigated the unprecedented pressure and strain of the COVID-19 pandemic. I personally congratulate the board, staff and clinicians whose efforts made this possible.”
Visit hospitalsafetygrade.org to learn more about Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades.
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About MaineHealth
MaineHealth is a not-for-profit integrated health system consisting of eight local hospital systems, a comprehensive behavioral healthcare network, diagnostic services, home health agencies, and more than 1,500 employed and independent physicians working together through an Accountable Care Organization. With over 22,000 employees, MaineHealth is the largest health system in northern New England and provides preventive care, diagnosis and treatment to 1.1 million residents in Maine and New Hampshire.
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 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. 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.