Long Beach Memorial is one of five percent of US hospitals and the only Southern California community-based teaching hospital recognized for continuous dedication to patient safety by maintaining an “A” grade in every Hospital Safety Score evaluation conducted by the Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit which grades hospitals twice annually for their ability to prevent errors, injuries, accidents and infection, according to a release sent out by the hospital on Tuesday.
Long Beach Memorial has never received a grade lower than an A from Hospital Safety Score’s eight evaluations since it launched in 2012, according to the announcement. The scoring uses 28 measures of public hospital safety data to produce a single A, B, C, D or F score, in an effort to represent a hospital’s ability to keep patients safe from preventable harm. Hospital Safety Scores are calculated by a Blue Ribbon panel of patient safety experts and are peer-reviewed, transparent and open to the public, according to the release.
The “A” grade is a significant achievement for any hospital to receive and is an important indicator for patients seeking a safe place to receive care. Leapfrog Group’s Hospital Safety Score is considered the gold standard rating for patient safety, according to Memorial, and offers consumers information on which hospitals are safest.
“When more than 1,000 people die daily from preventable accidents in hospitals, Leapfrog believes patient safety is Job One. To reinforce that goal of consistent vigilance, we’ve made it easier to evaluate a hospital’s safety record,” said Leah Binder, Leapfrog president & CEO, in a statement. “Those earning an ‘A’ demonstrate their commitment to their patients and community. I congratulate Long Beach Memorial for safety excellence, and look forward to when all hospitals match this standard.”
On top of Long Beach Memorial’s A grade, Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach is one of only nine children’s hospitals nationwide to appear on Leapfrog Group’s Top Hospitals, which shows a combination of adult and children’s facilities on the same list. In this year’s review, Community Hospital received “A” and “B” grades.
“We are proud of our more than 6,000 employees, affiliated physicians and volunteers that serve the community at our Long Beach hospitals and outpatient facilities,” said John Bishop, CEO of Long Beach Memorial, Miller’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach and Community Hospital Long Beach, in a statement. “Our highly consistent commitment to patient safety is a hallmark of MemorialCare Health System’s more than 200 care sites.”
The Hospital Safety Score updates show that although hospitals have made statistically significant improvements on pre- and post-surgery safety processes and implementation of computerized medication prescribing systems, performance on safety outcomes, including preventing errors, accidents and infections, has not significantly improved except in the case of Long Beach Memorial and several other top-rated hospitals, according to the release.