Two Northwest Health hospitals received high marks for quality of care today from The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit upholding the standard of patient safety in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. Northwest Health – Porter received an “A” Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade for spring 2023 and Northwest Health – La Porte received a “B”. This national distinction celebrates Northwest Health’s achievements in prioritizing patient safety by protecting patients from preventable harm and errors. The new grades reflect performance primarily during the height of the pandemic.
“The Spring 2023 Leapfrog safety grades come with added significance as it is based on patient care provided during the COVID pandemic,” said Ashley Dickinson, Chief Executive Officer, Northwest Health. “I would like to thank and acknowledge every member of our team for consistently – every minute, every day, every hour – providing excellent patient care and keeping our patients safe from harm and medical errors. As always, our commitment is to our patients and serving the communities of Northwest Indiana.”
The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on over 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, injuries, accidents and infections, as well as systems in place to prevent harm.
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospital prevention of medical errors and harms 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.
“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.”
To see the hospitals’ full grade details and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org .
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About Northwest Health
Northwest Health is a comprehensive healthcare system committed to providing communities in Northwest Indiana with high-quality, accessible healthcare—from highly specialized care and surgical services to more routine primary care. The system of more than 60 access points includes three hospitals, five emergency departments, urgent care centers, outpatient surgery centers, an ambulance service, and physician offices. Northwest Health – Porter is owned in part by physicians. A team of more than 3,000 employees work together with the more than 700 physicians on its medical staffs. For more information, visit NWHealthIN.com.
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 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.