Dignity Health - Memorial Hospital Receives an 'A' for Patient Safety in Fall 2018 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade

The designation recognizes Memorial Hospital's efforts in protecting patients from harm and meeting the highest safety standards in the United States.

BAKERSFIELD, CA ― November 8, 2018 ―

Memorial Hospital was awarded an ‘A’ from The Leapfrog Group’s Fall 2018 Hospital Safety Grade. The designation recognizes Memorial’s efforts in protecting patients from harm and meeting the highest safety standards in the United States. The Leapfrog Group is a national organization committed to improving health care quality and safety for consumers and purchasers. 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, infections and other harms among patients in their care.

“Patient safety is everyone’s goal at Memorial Hospital, from front line staff, to housekeeping, security, and hospital leadership.  Everyone plays an important role in quality of care and patient safety,” says Amy Olson, Senior Director, Nursing Operations and Quality and Risk Management at Memorial Hospital. “The Leapfrog Hospital Safety ‘A’ Grade is a great achievement and illustrates our commitment to providing the highest quality care to our community.” 

 

“Leapfrog’s Hospital Safety Grades recognize hospitals like Memorial Hospital that focus on advancing patient safety. This ranking provides an important resource for patients, and a benchmark for hospitals, to determine how care at one hospital compares to others in a region,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “Hospitals that earn an A Hospital Safety Grade deserve to be recognized for their efforts in preventing medical harm and errors.”

 

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. hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.

 

Memorial Hospital was one of 855 across the United States awarded an A in the Fall 2018 update of grades. To see Memorial’s full grade details, and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetygrade.org. Mercy Hospital Downtown and Mercy Hospital Southwest received a B grade for Fall 2018.

 

###

  

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.

 

###

 

About Dignity Health – Memorial Hospital

Bakersfield Memorial Hospital is a 426 bed acute care medical center offering a full range of services including advanced cardiovascular and neurology care at the Sarvanand Heart and Brain Center, Grossman Burn Center, expanded maternity and family care, the Lauren Small Children’s Center, orthopedic services, wound care center, 24-hour emergency care including the area’s only pediatric emergency room, robotic and general/outpatient surgery. Memorial Hospital is a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital and is home to the Bakersfield Ronald McDonald House. Memorial Hospital is a member of Dignity Health and is a trusted community partner, serving residents of Bakersfield and Kern County with quality, compassionate care since 1956. Learn more at dignityhealth.org/bakersfieldmemorial.

###