Sarah Bush Lincoln was awarded an ‘A’ from The Leapfrog Group’s spring 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade. The designation recognizes Sarah Bush Lincoln’s efforts in protecting patients from harm and providing safer healthcare.
The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization committed to improving healthcare quality and safety for consumers. The Safety Grade assigns an ‘A,’ ‘B,’ ‘C,’ ‘D,’ or ‘F’ grade to 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 Vice President of Medical Affairs Jim Hildebrandt, DO, said, “We are laser focused on the safety of our patients every day. Community members have put their trust in us and we are committed to doing all we can to provide exceptional care – safe care – to everyone we treat. We are humbled by this designation.”
Dr. Hildebrandt credits Sarah Bush Lincoln’s culture of safety and teams of employees who have worked hard to ensure safety initiatives are understood and followed systemwide. The implementation of Cerner, Sarah Bush Lincoln’s new electronic medical record, helps streamline processes and ensure information is available to clinicians when they need it.
Sarah Bush Lincoln voluntarily submits clinical data to Leapfrog and then examines the results to find ways to improve care.
Sarah Bush Lincoln Accreditations Director Brenda Miller, RN, explained that Sarah Bush Lincoln has implemented several quality and safety measures in the last few years to improve the outcome for its patients and earn an “A” from Leapfrog.
Miller explained that the Health Center’s catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) rate improved because of the focus put on it. A performance improvement team has been working on eliminating CAUTIs for four years and developed protocols to reach the goal and continually monitor it.
“We have reduced the use of catheters, and for those people who must have one, we remove them more quickly. We have also changed the way in which we monitor them. Instead of reaching for a catheter, we are using different devices, thus limiting the use of them,” Miller said.
People undergoing surgery are asked to shower three times with a special antiseptic soap to help eliminate bacteria naturally found on the skin. In doing so, the patient is less likely to contract an infection, Miller explained.
“To be recognized nationally as an ‘A’ hospital is an accomplishment the whole community should take pride in,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “Hospitals that earn an ‘A’ grade are making it a priority to protect patients from preventable medical harm and error. We congratulate hospital leaders, board members, staff, volunteers and clinicians who work 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 spring 2019 update. To view Sarah Bush Lincoln’s full grade details, and to 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.
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