French Hospital Medical Center One of Only 20 Hospitals Across the Nation to Receive Straight “A” for Safety Every Year Since the Inception of the Grading System

French Hospital Achieves 23 Consecutive ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grades from Leapfrog Group

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SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA – May 3, 2023 – Dignity Health French Hospital Medical Center (FHMC) is excited to announce that it has achieved 23 consecutive “A” Hospital Safety Grades since the launch of The Leapfrog Group in 2012. FHMC is one of only 20 hospitals nationwide that have achieved this distinction.  

“I am incredibly proud of the French Hospital team for achieving a Leapfrog “A” grade, every grading cycle since the program began,” said Patrick Caster, President & CEO of French Hospital. “To be one of only 20 hospitals in the nation, and one of only 2 hospitals in California, to achieve this distinction is an incredible validation of the high quality care delivered by the French Hospital physicians, nurses, clinical support services, staff and volunteers.”

The Leapfrog Group is an independent national nonprofit quality rating organization upholding the standards of patient safety in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. This national distinction recognizes French Hospital’s documented delivery of the highest quality health care to patients through prioritizing patient safety including protecting patients from preventable harm and errors. This accomplishment is particularly impressive as the new grades reflect performance primarily during the height of COVID-19 pandemic related challenges. 

As an independent national watchdog organization, The Leapfrog Group assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on over 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm.

“This new update of Hospital Safety Grades shows that, at the national level, we saw deterioration in patient safety with the pandemic,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “But this hospital received an ‘A’ despite those challenges. I congratulate all the leaders, staff, volunteers and clinicians who together made that possible.”

 The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospital prevention of medical errors and harm to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.

To learn more about French Hospital Medical Center, please visit dignityhealth.org/frenchhospital.

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About French Hospital Medical Center

French Hospital Medical Center is a state-of-the-art, 112-bed acute care hospital located in San Luis Obispo, California. French’s Oppenheimer Family Center for Emergency Medicine is the area’s most advanced emergency services center. The modern facility is home to the Copeland, Forbes, and Rossi Cardiac Care Center, is the county’s premier cardiac center, providing the latest cardiac and imaging technology, and the Hearst Cancer Resource Center offering free education, resources and support to cancer patients and their families.

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 for patient safety. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey and new Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC 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. For more, follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up for our newsletter.