~ Press release issued by Valley Health
WINCHESTER — Valley Health’s two acute care hospitals – Winchester Medical Center (WMC) and Warren Memorial Hospital (WMH) – have each earned an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group, an independent, nonprofit national watchdog organization, recognizing their achievements in protecting patients from harm in the hospital setting.
The Leapfrog Group assigned an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” grade to nearly 3,000 general acute care hospitals across the country based on over 30 evidence-based patient safety performance measures reflecting errors, injuries, accidents and infections, as well as systems in place to prevent harm.
This is the fifth consecutive “A” for Winchester Medical Center, a distinction The Leapfrog Group recognizes as Straight A’s for 2020-2022, placing WMC in elite company with only 14 percent of the U.S. hospitals graded this spring. WMC is the highest graded facility in the Northern Shenandoah Valley and Eastern Panhandle region.
“I’m pleased that both of our acute care hospitals have earned “A” safety grades from Leapfrog,” said Mark Nantz, Valley Health President and CEO. “The last two years have reinforced our processes and our appreciation for the role each of us plays in ensuring the safety of patients, as well as families, staff, and the larger community. Valley Health caregivers are highly engaged and committed to providing safe, high quality care for every patient, every time.”
Warren Memorial Hospital Administrator Jennifer Coello said the hospital’s “A” safety grade is an affirmation of her staff’s focus on patient safety. “Our patients trust us to do everything in our power to improve their health. That is a privilege we take seriously. So patient safety is top of mind for our entire team, every day, on every shift, throughout the hospital.”
Winchester Medical Center, a 495-bed regional referral hospital, and Warren Memorial Hospital, a 36- bed acute care hospital, are part of Valley Health, a nonprofit health system serving a population of more than 500,000 in the Northern Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, the Eastern Panhandle and Potomac Highlands of West Virginia, and western Maryland.
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 healthcare. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey and new Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC 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.
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospital prevention of medical errors and harms 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.
The latest Hospital Safety grades show significant variation in patient safety performance across U.S. hospitals, which underscores the importance of access to information that allows patients to select the safest hospital for their care.
To see the full grade details for WMC and WMH and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org.
For more on Valley Health’s six hospitals, more than 60 medical practices and Urgent Care centers, outpatient rehabilitation and fitness, medical transport, long-term care, and home health, visit www.valleyhealthlink.com
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