HOLYOKE MEDICAL CENTER EARNS ‘A’ FOR PATIENT SAFETY IN SPRING 2018 LEAPFROG HOSPITAL SAFETY GRADE
Holyoke, MA, April 24, 2018 – Holyoke Medical Center (HMC) has once again earned an ‘A’ from The Leapfrog Group for its efforts in protecting patients from harm and meeting the highest safety standards in the U.S. The Leapfrog Group, a Washington D.C.-based organization aiming to improve health care quality and safety for consumers and purchasers, today released the new Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades. 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 harms among patients in their care. Holyoke Medical Center was one of 750 awarded an ‘A’ for its commitment to keeping patients safe.
“This is the fifth consecutive ‘A’ grade Holyoke Medical Center has received from the Leapfrog Group. Our commitment to patient safety and providing the highest quality of care is unwavering. This recognition is in large part due to our exemplary team of professionals, who provide excellent care every day to every patient,” said Spiros Hatiras, President and Chief Executive Officer of Holyoke Medical Center and Valley Health Systems, Inc.
“This is the only national rating of how well hospitals protect patients from preventable harm and death, such as medical errors, infections, and injuries,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “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.”
Developed under the guidance of an expert panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to approximately 2,500 U.S. hospitals twice per year. It is 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 first 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 nine years and 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. To learn more, visit www.HolyokeHealth.com.
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 collects 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.