HOLYOKE MEDICAL CENTER EARNS 'A' FOR PATIENT SAFETY IN FALL 2017 LEAPFROG HOSPITAL SAFETY GRADE
Holyoke, MA, October 31, 2016 – Holyoke Medical Center (HMC) has once again earned an “A” rating from The Leapfrog Group, ranking them among the safest hospitals in the United States. The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit health care ratings organization, today released new Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades. The Safety Grade assigns letter grades of A, B, C, D and F to hospitals nationwide based on their performance in preventing medical errors, infections and other harms. Holyoke Medical Center was one of 832 awarded an “A” for its commitment to keeping patients safe and meeting the highest safety standards in the U.S.
“Holyoke Medical Center has received four “A” grades in a row from the Leapfrog Group. This, once again, is an example of our continued commitment to providing the safest, high quality care for our community. We extend appreciation to all of our staff, who join us every day in striving to be the best place for care in the Pioneer Valley,” says Spiros Hatiras, President and Chief Executive Officer of Holyoke Medical Center and Valley Health Systems, Inc.
“It takes consistent, unwavering dedication to patients to achieve the highest standards of patient safety. An ‘A’ Safety Grade recognizes hospitals for this accomplishment,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We congratulate the clinicians, Board, management and staff of Holyoke Medical Center for showing the country what it means to put patient safety first.”
Developed under the guidance of a Blue Ribbon National Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign A, B, C, D and F grades to more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals twice per year. It is calculated by top patient safety experts, peer reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public.
To see Holyoke Medical Center’s full grade, and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetygrade.org.
About Holyoke Medical Center
Holyoke Medical Center (HMC) is a 198-bed independent community hospital with over 1,300 employees serving individuals and families throughout the cities and towns of the Pioneer Valley. The medical staff includes more than 300 physicians and consulting staff. Holyoke Medical Center is a nationally-accredited hospital and received a 2016 Top Hospital Award from the Leapfrog Group for excellence in quality of care and patient safety. This full-service hospital provides a complete line of inpatient and outpatient medical and surgical services, including an award-winning birthing center with the only Baby Friendly designation status in the region. Holyoke Medical Center’s award-winning Stroke Service has been consistently recognized as one of the best in the state for the past eight years and has received the 2017 Get with the Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Achievement Honor Roll Elite Plus Award from the American Stroke Association. Holyoke Medical Center is a member of Valley Health Systems in Holyoke which also includes the affiliates Holyoke Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice Life Care, Western Mass Physician Associates and River Valley Counseling Center.
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 Surveycollects 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.