WakeMed Earns Straight A’s for Patient Safety from The Leapfrog Group
November 6, 2023RALEIGH, N.C. (November 6, 2023) – WakeMed Raleigh Campus, WakeMed Cary Hospital, and WakeMed North Hospital all received A ratings on the latest Hospital Safety Grades, released today by The Leapfrog Group. The Leapfrog grading system, which represents a hospital’s overall performance in keeping patients safe from preventable harm and medical errors, assigns a letter grade to nearly 3,000 U.S. hospitals.
This marks the fifth time in a row that all three WakeMed hospitals received A grades. The accomplishment places the WakeMed health system in elite company: only 30% of hospitals nationwide received A’s in this round of scores.
“Patients and family are at the center of all we do – and these A grades reflect our team’s commitment to improving quality, patient safety and service,” said Karen Chilton, MD, senior vice president & Chief Quality Officer for WakeMed.
The fall 2023 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades are based on performance against 22 metrics – 12 of which are related to processes and 10 related to outcomes. All three of WakeMed’s hospitals scored above the Leapfrog mean (average) in nearly all measures. Other improvements in outcome measures noted for WakeMed included CLABSI, CAUTI, MRSA, and C. difficile rates as well as HCAHPS Staff Responsiveness and discharge information. To view hospital-specific performance on all measures, please refer to the following links:
The Leapfrog Group is an independent nonprofit organization committed to driving quality, safety, and transparency in the U.S. health system. Updated each fall and spring, The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses up to 30 national performance measures and information reported from government agencies and other sources. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent, and free to the public.
About WakeMed Health & Hospitals
Serving the community since 1961, WakeMed is a not-for-profit health care system founded and based in Raleigh, N.C. WakeMed exists to improve the health and well-being of our community by providing outstanding and compassionate care to all. WakeMed’s 970-bed system comprises a network of facilities throughout the Triangle area, including three full-service hospitals, seven emergency departments, a dedicated Children’s Hospital and Rehabilitation Hospital, more than 90 physician offices and Wake County’s only Level I Trauma Center. WakeMed’s mission-driven team includes more than 10,300 employees, 1,400 volunteers and 1,300 affiliated physicians, along with the more than 700 physicians and providers with WakeMed Physician Practices – all representing the best minds and the biggest hearts and the finest quality in health care and community health. For more information, visit www.wakemed.org or follow WakeMed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
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.
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