NCH Nationally Recognized with an ‘A’ for the Spring 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade

Northwest Community Healthcare (NCH) received an “A” grade in the spring 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, a national distinction recognizing NCH’s achievements protecting patients from errors, injuries, accidents and infections. 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.

“To achieve the “A” distinction for the fifth consecutive time is a strong reflection of the commitment of our team, but to achieve it during an unprecedented time of a global pandemic is outstanding,” said NCH Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President, Alan Loren, M.D., PhD. “It is a testament to the quality of people in our organization. From our clinical teams to our support staff, this was accomplished by the collective effort of everyone in this organization whose mission is to improve the health of the communities we serve and to meet individuals’ healthcare needs.”

“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 NCH 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.

NCH was awarded an “A” grade today when Leapfrog updated grades for spring 2021. To see NCH’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.