Phoebe’s ‘A’ Leapfrog grade shows hospital’s commitment to safety

ALBANY – Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital was awarded an “A” in the Spring 2020 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, a national distinction recognizing Phoebe’s achievements IN providing safer health care.

“Our second consecutive Leapfrog ‘A’ is validation of the Phoebe Family’s commitment to putting safety first every day,” Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital Chief Executive Officer Joe Austin said in a news release. “This recognition comes at a particularly meaningful time. I am incredibly proud of our staff’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our teams have gone to extraordinary lengths to provide safe, quality care while overcoming unprecedented challenges.

“It has truly been amazing to see the Phoebe Family in action during this crisis. Earning this prestigious distinction is a great pat on the back and will only further our determination to provide the best possible care to every patient we serve.”

The Safety Grade is a letter grade assigned to all general hospitals across the country. It is updated every six months, assessing how well the hospital prevents medical errors and other harms to patients.

“Our Leapfrog ‘A’ speaks volumes about our organization’s commitment to patient safety and the individual work being conducted every day to move us toward our goal of zero patient harm,” Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital Chief Medical Officer Dr. Steven Kitchen said. “We have the hard data to prove the success of our focused safety teams and our efforts to create evidenced-based protocols and care pathways to ensure every patient receives safe, quality care.

“Throughout our COVID-19 response, safety has remained our top priority. Despite overwhelming demand, we never ran out of any personal protective equipment needed to keep our staff and patients safe. And as we transition back to more normal operations, we are going above and beyond CDC guidelines as we clean and sanitize facilities. The safety of our patients and the Phoebe Family will continue to guide every decision we make.”

The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization committed to health care quality and safety.

“As the Nation copes with a challenging pandemic, our gratitude extends to hospital leadership and health care workers everywhere for their tremendous dedication,” Leah Binder, The Leapfrog Group President and CEO, said. “We hope this ‘A’ helps to thank the people who work and volunteer for Phoebe. They are role models in putting patients first, and their service has been extraordinary in our country’s time of need.”

Developed under the guidance of a national expert panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses up to 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.

Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital was awarded an “A” grade when Leapfrog updated grades for spring 2020. To see Phoebe’s full grade details and access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit hospitalsafetygrade.org.

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