Sarah Bush Lincoln was awarded an ‘A’ in fall 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, a national distinction recognizing Sarah Bush Lincoln’s achievements protecting patients from harm and providing safer healthcare.
The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization driven by employers and other purchasers of healthcare committed to improving healthcare quality and safety for consumers and purchasers. The Safety Grade assigns an ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, ‘D’ or ‘F’ grade to all general hospitals across the country based on their performance in preventing medical errors, injuries, accidents, infections and other harms to patients in their care.
Sarah Bush Lincoln President and CEO Jerry Esker said, “I couldn’t be prouder of this organization and our employees who always put the safety of our patients first and foremost.” Esker explained that Sarah Bush Lincoln earned an “A” by taking care of all the little things that affect patient care. Some of these things include using system-wide safety tools in an effort to eliminate harm; using a universal cleaning agent on furniture and floors that kills infections; taking full advantage of the robust electronic medical record that helps clinical staff accurately document the care of patients; and trying new medical devices to help eliminate infections.
Esker added, “The safety of our patients is our number one concern and we have made it a priority to use all the tools we can to ensure the excellent care of people who trust us with their care.”
“‘A-rated’ hospitals show us their leadership is protecting patients from preventable medical harm and error,” Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, said. “It takes genuine commitment at every level – from clinicians to administrators to the board of directors – and we congratulate the teams who have worked so hard to earn this A.”
Developed under the guidance of a national Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 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.
Sarah Bush Lincoln was awarded an ‘A’ grade today, when Leapfrog announced grades for the fall 2019 update. To see Sarah Bush Lincoln’s full grade details, learn how employers can help, and access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit hospitalsafetygrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter and Facebook.
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.
