The Leapfrog Group recognized Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara hospital with a top score of “A” in its biannual Hospital Safety Grades report, which examined and assigned letter grades to nearly 3,000 hospitals throughout the United States.
Hospitals received grades based on approximately two dozen measures that analyze patient injuries, medical and medication errors, and infections. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.
Kaiser Permanente Northern California hospitals continue to be consistently recognized as among the country’s best for outstanding patient safety, positive outcomes and patient experience.
This fall, 17 Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Northern California received “A” scores including: Antioch, Fremont, Fresno, Manteca, Modesto, Oakland, Redwood City, Richmond, Roseville, San Francisco, San Jose, San Rafael, Santa Clara, Santa Rosa, South San Francisco, Vacaville, and Vallejo. Additionally, Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Sacramento, San Leandro and Walnut Creek received “B” scores.
“This honor is a testament to the dedication of our staff to provide safe care to our patients every day,” said Eric Williams, FACHE, senior vice president and area manager of the Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center. “We remain committed to providing our patients safe, high-quality care in a healing environment.”
The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits, released its Hospital Safety Grades after examining publicly available data on patient injuries, medical and medication errors and infections at U.S. hospitals. The report includes data collected by national healthcare organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Scores are calculated based on more than two dozen publicly available measures, and hospitals are then assigned A, B, C, D or F grades for their safety records. The grades are released as a free resource to help patients and their families make informed healthcare decisions.
“Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara is consistently recognized as a leader in patient safety,”,” said Rakesh Chaudhary, physician in chief of the Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center.” “Our physicians, nurses and staff keep our patients at the center of all we do and provide the safest care.”
Kaiser Permanente is one of America’s leading integrated healthcare providers and serves more than 12.6 million members. Nationally, 24 of 39 Kaiser Permanente hospitals, more than 60 percent, received a Leapfrog Safety “A” grade. Nationwide, approximately 30% of hospitals received an A rating and 28% of California hospitals received an A rating.
For more information and a complete list of the hospital safety grades, visit the Leapfrog website.