French Hospital Medical Center named Top Hospital in the Nation

French Hospital is among only six hospital in California to receive this elite designation

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA – December 7, 2017 – French Hospital Medical Center (FHMC) is thrilled to announce it has been named among an elite group of hospitals as a Top General Hospital in the nation by The Leapfrog Group. FHMC is among only six hospitals in California to receive this incredible honor, and the closest facility to receive this similar designation is more than 160 miles away. 

The Leapfrog Top Hospital award is widely acknowledged as one of the most competitive honors American hospitals can receive. Forty-five hospitals in the United States received the Top General Hospital award. Performance across many areas of hospital care is considered in establishing the qualifications for the award, including infection rates, maternity care, and the hospital’s capacity to prevent medication errors. The rigorous standards are defined in each year’s Top Hospital Methodology. The selection of Top Hospitals 2017 is based on surveys from nearly 1,900 hospitals.

“It is a truly great achievement to be named a Top General Hospital in the nation,” says FHMC President and CEO Alan Iftiniuk. “This honor is testament to our passionate and strongly committed team of caregivers, physicians, support staff, and professional managers. I am proud of our sustained efforts to continuously improve the level of commitment and excellence we offer at French Hospital Medical Center.”

FHMC has also been named recently as a Top 100 Hospital in Becker’s Hospital Review list of “100 Great Community Hospitals” in the United States, as well as one of America’s Best Hospitals for Obstetrics via the 2017 Women’s Choice Award. 

The Leapfrog Group provides consumers ranked statistics and informative data for selecting a medical center. The premise of the group is to provide accessibility to the public while allowing medical facilities the opportunity to measure improvements. Dignity Health actively participates in the program, and the process offers a calculable opportunity for standardized advancements in the care, safety and quality of our patients.

FHMC continues to strive for clinical excellence and patient safety outcomes, by transforming and improving its hospital campus. FHMC recently completed the renovation of the Stollmeyer Family Birthing Center with an added service of an Acute Care Nursery. FHMC’s new Emergency Department expansion project is planned for spring of 2018, and aims to double the space of the existing emergency services center to accommodate for the growing community in San Luis Obispo and surrounding cities. 

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About French Hospital Medical Center
French Hospital Medical Center, located in San Luis Obispo, California, is rated one of the Top 100 Hospitals in the nation and one of the Top 50 Cardiac Hospitals in the nation by Thomson Reuters.  The Copeland, Forbes, and Rossi Cardiac Care Center provides the latest innovative cardiac and imaging technology on the Central Coast. The hospital’s current modernization and redesign project is an example of the commitment to meet the growing needs of the community with lifesaving advancements in medicine coupled with excellent, compassionate care. The hospital is home to the unique Hearst Cancer Resource Center offering free education, resources and support to cancer patients and their families.  French is a Dignity Health member of the Central Coast which also includes Arroyo Grande Community Hospital in Arroyo Grande, CA and Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria, CA. Dignity Health of the Central Coast is an integrated network of top quality hospitals, physicians from the most prestigious medical schools, and comprehensive outpatient services including primary care offices, premier ambulatory surgery centers, technologically-advanced laboratories and imaging centers and a full service home health agency; all recognized for quality, safety and service.  Each hospital is supported by an active philanthropic Foundation to help meet the growing health care needs of our communities.