USMD Hospital at Arlington Awarded an “A” for Patient Safety

ARLINGTON, Texas – (June 8, 2012) USMD Hospital at Arlington was honored with an “A” Hospital Safety ScoreSM by The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits. The Hospital Safety ScoreSM was calculated under the guidance of The Leapfrog Group’s Blue Ribbon Expert Panel using publicly available data on patient injuries, medical and medication errors, and infections. U.S. hospitals were assigned an A, B, C, D, or F for their safety.

The Leapfrog Group is a national organization using the collective leverage of large purchasers of health care to initiate breakthrough improvements in the safety, quality, and affordability of health care for Americans. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey allows purchasers to structure their contracts and purchasing to reward the highest performing hospitals.

“To achieve an “A” Hospital Safety Score, we demonstrated consistently high scores across several national quality measures. We are committed to patient safety and to delivering the highest quality health care,” said Marcia Crim, RN, BSN, MS, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Nursing Officer. “It takes a significant amount of work, but it is well worth it. We appreciate this recognition, but more important than the honor is knowing we’re doing the right thing for our patients. After all, they have entrusted us with their care.”

More than 2,600 general hospitals nationwide have received a Hospital Safety ScoreSM. Less than 20 hospitals in the D/FW metroplex earned an “A” and USMD Hospital at Arlington is the only hospital in Arlington to receive the highest score. To see how USMD Hospital at Arlington’s scores compare nationally and locally, visit Hospital Safety ScoreSM website, which also provides information on how the public can protect themselves and loved ones during a hospital stay.

“It’s The Leapfrog Group’s goal to give patients the information they need and deserve before even entering a hospital,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We congratulate the hospitals that earned an ‘A’ and we look forward to the day when all hospitals in the U.S. will earn the highest scores for putting patient safety first.”

Calculated under the guidance of The Leapfrog Group’s nine-member Blue Ribbon Expert Panel, the Hospital Safety ScoreSM uses 26 evidence-based, national measures of publicly available hospital safety data to produce a single score representing a hospital’s overall capacity to keep patients safe from infections, injuries, and medical and medication errors.