Saint Michael’s Medical Center, a member of Prime Healthcare, received an “A” Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade for spring 2022. This national distinction recognizes Saint Michael’s as among the top in the nation in protecting patients from preventable harm and errors in the hospital.
“As our health care system continues to feel the strain of the pandemic, I thank the workforce and leadership of Saint Michael’s for sustained commitment to patient safety, day in and day out,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group.
“An ‘A’ Safety Grade is an outstanding achievement, and one that is not possible without a 24/7 effort by the entire health care workforce to protect patients from harm,” Binder said. “This community should be proud.”
Saint Michael’s is the only hospital in Newark and the only one in Essex County to receive an A from Leapfrog this period. It is the sixth time Saint Michael’s has been awarded an A. The hospital first received an A in the Fall of 2018 and received the recognition for five consecutive periods.
“The entire staff of Saint Michael’s is diligently focused on patient safety,” said Saint Michael’s CEO Alan Sickles, MD. “This is a well-earned recognition that our staff can celebrate with pride.”
In March, Saint Michael’s was recognized by Healthgrades as a 2022 Patient Safety Excellence Award™ recipient, which places Saint Michael’s among the top 5% of all short-term acute care hospitals as evaluated by Healthgrades.
The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on over thirty national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries, and infections, as well as the systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm.
“This award reflects the dedication to quality demonstrated by the leaders and staff in the provision of care,” said Joy Mitchell, the director of Performance Improvement “Everyone works towards achieving positive outcomes for our patients and the recognition lets the team know they are on the right track.
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospital prevention of medical errors and harm to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.
To see Saint Michael’s full grade details and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter, Facebook, and via its newsletter.