Southern Maine Medical Center Awarded an “A” for Patient Safety by Hospital Safety Score

11/29/2012

Southern Maine Medical Center (SMMC) is pleased to announce that it was honored with an “A” Hospital Safety Score by The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits.  The A score was awarded in the latest update to the Hospital Safety Score^SM, the A, B, C, D or F scores assigned to U.S. hospitals based on preventable medical errors, injuries, accidents, and infections. The Hospital Safety Score was compiled under the guidance of the nation’s leading experts on patient safety and is designed to give the public information they can use to protect themselves and their families.

“When patients choose SMMC to deliver their care, they are entrusting us with their health and we take that responsibility very seriously,” said SMMC president and CEO Ed McGeachey. “Earning a national A rating for patient safety from Hospital Safety Score by The Leapfrog Group validates SMMC’s commitment to providing our patients with excellent care, always. This recognition is a testament to our employees’ skill and professionalism.”

“Hospitals like SMMC that earn an A have demonstrated their commitment to their patients and their community,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “I congratulate SMMC for its safety excellence, and look forward to the day when all hospitals will match this standard.”

To see SMMC’s scores as they compare nationally and locally, visit the Hospital Safety Score website at www.hospitalsafetyscore.org, which also provides information on how the public can protect themselves and loved ones during a hospital stay. People can also check their local hospital’s score on the free mobile app, available at www.hospitalsafetyscore.org.

Calculated under the guidance of The Leapfrog Group’s nine-member Blue Ribbon Expert Panel, the Hospital Safety Score uses 26 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to produce a single score representing a hospital’s overall capacity to keep patients safe from infections, injuries, and medical and medication errors. The panel includes: John Birkmeyer (University of Michigan), Ashish Jha (Harvard University), Lucian Leape (Harvard University), Arnold Millstein (Stanford University), Peter Pronovost (Johns Hopkins University), Patrick Romano (University of California, Davis), Sara Singer (Harvard University), Tim Vogus (Vanderbilt University), and Robert Wachter (University of California, San Francisco). 

About The Leapfrog Group
The Leapfrog Group (www.leapfroggroup.org) is a national nonprofit organization using the collective leverage of large purchasers of health care to initiate breakthrough improvements in the safety, quality, and affordability of health care for Americans. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey allows purchasers to structure their contracts and purchasing to reward the highest performing hospitals. The Leapfrog Group was founded in November 2000 with support from the Business Roundtable and national funders, and is now independently operated with support from its purchaser and other members.

About Southern Maine Medical Center
Southern Maine Medical Center (SMMC) is a national award-winning healthcare system, including a 150-bed acute care medical center in Biddeford, Maine, offering excellent clinical care and a multi-specialty physician services group with medical offices providing outpatient care located in Biddeford, Kennebunk, Old Orchard Beach and Saco. Non-emergency care is available without an appointment seven days a week at SMMC’s Walk-In Care center in Saco. SMMC is Joint Commission accredited, Pathway to Excellence designated, state-licensed, and is a member of Southern Maine Health Care and the MaineHealth system. To learn more visit www.smmc.org.

Media Contact:
Leslie Roberts
lbroberts@smmc.org
(207) 283-7232