EvergreenHealth Earns Ninth Consecutive 'A' Hospital Safety Grade from Leapfrog Group
Grade reflects top national performance on patient safety through COVID-19 pandemic
KIRKLAND, Wash. – EvergreenHealth announced today that it has again received an "A" grade for patient safety from the Leapfrog Group, a leading independent national nonprofit watchdog for hospital quality and safety. This is the ninth consecutive "A" Hospital Safety Grade the community-owned health system has earned over the past five years.
This national distinction celebrates EvergreenHealth's achievements in prioritizing patient safety by protecting patients from preventable harm and errors. This "A" grade reflects performance primarily during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"At EvergreenHealth, safety is a foundational part of our culture – every doctor, provider, staff member and volunteer across our health system keeps patient safety as our shared priority in everything we do," said EvergreenHealth CEO Jeff Tomlin, MD. "I am especially proud that regardless of the very challenging circumstances during the COVID pandemic, we remained steadfast in our commitment to the well-being of our patients and community, and this recognition is proof."
The Leapfrog Group assigns an "A" through "F" grade to general hospitals across the country based on more than 30 national performance metrics reflecting errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as systems that hospitals have in place to prevent harm.
"This new update of Hospital Safety Grades shows that, at the national level, we saw deterioration in patient safety during the pandemic," said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. "But this hospital received an ‘A' despite those challenges. I congratulate all the leaders, staff, volunteers and clinicians who together made that possible."
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital rating program focused 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 spring and fall.
In addition to this award, EvergreenHealth is one of just two hospitals across five states (Washington, Montana, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska) to be recognized as one of America's 50 Best™ Hospitals by Healthgrades and earn the Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence Award™. EvergreenHealth has also earned more No. 1 state rankings from Healthgrades than any other hospital on the West Coast.
To see EvergreenHealth's full grade details and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org and EvergreenHealth.com.
