Longmont United Hospital was recognized for its efforts to protect patients from preventable harm and error, receiving the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade A.
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is a test which assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on 32 national performance measures.
Earning an “A” from the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade test means that LUH placed itself among the best hospitals countrywide when it comes to how its staff handles infections in patients, problems with surgery, safety problems, practices to prevent errors and doctors, nurses and hospital staff.
Out of the 32 subcategories for each of the five overall categories the test grades hospitals on, LUH scored “above average” in 23 subcategories compared to the national average scores. Such high scores were earned in the subcategories of “handwashing,” “harmful events,” “accidental cuts and tears,” “infection in the blood” and “effective leadership to prevent errors.”
For more than 20 years, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades have been updated every fall and spring by the Leapfrog Group, a national, independent watchdog organization aimed at “collecting, analyzing and publishing hospital data on safety and quality in order to push the healthcare industry forward,” the organization’s website states. The organization’s grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public.
“As our healthcare system continues to feel the strain of the pandemic, I thank the workforce and leadership of Centura Longmont United Hospital for their sustained commitment to patient safety, day in and day out,” Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, said in a news release. “An ‘A’ Safety Grade is an outstanding achievement, and one that is not possible without a 24/7 effort by the entire health care workforce to protect patients from harm. This community should be proud.”
