Media Contact:
Allison Kenty
207-283-7233
allison.kenty@mainehealth.org
This recognition marks the 7th consecutive ‘A’ for Southern Maine Health Care.
Biddeford, ME – Southern Maine Health Care (SMHC) received an “A” grade in the spring 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, a national distinction recognizing SMHC’s achievements protecting patients from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections.
“The dedication of our teams to patient safety and quality, even in the most challenging of times in healthcare is impressive, said Nathan Howell, SMHC President. “SMHC care teams work daily to back up our promise to provide the best possible health care to the communities we serve.”
The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization committed to health care quality and safety. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” grade to all general hospitals across the country and is updated every six months. It is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospitals’ prevention of medical errors and other harms to patients in their care.
“An ‘A’ safety grade is an elite designation that your community should be proud of,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “The past year has been extraordinarily difficult for hospitals, but Southern Maine Health Care shows us it is possible to keep a laser focus on patients and their safety, no matter what it takes.”
Developed under the guidance of a national Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses up to 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,700 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.
SMHC was awarded an “A” grade today when Leapfrog updated grades for spring 2021. To see SMHC’s full grade details and access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit hospitalsafetygrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter and Facebook.
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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.
About Southern Maine Health Care
Southern Maine Health Care (SMHC) is an award-winning health care organization that includes a full service, acute care medical center in Biddeford and a medical center in Sanford with York County’s only inpatient behavioral health unit. Both medical centers offer 24/7 Emergency care, surgical and diagnostic services. SMHC offers primary care, specialty care, outpatient diagnostic and therapy services across York County and Walk-In Care centers in Kennebunk, Saco, Sanford and Waterboro. SMHC is Joint Commission accredited and is part of the MaineHealth system, a growing family of health care services in northern New England with a non-profit mission dedicated to “improving the health of our patients and communities by providing high-quality affordable care, educating tomorrow's caregivers, and researching better ways to provide care.” To learn more, visit www.smhc.org.