St. Mary’s Healthcare, Amsterdam Earns an “A” in Patient Safety by Hospital Safety Score Amsterdam, New York – St. Mary’s Healthcare, Amsterdam was recognized with an “A” Hospital Safety Score by The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits, like General Electric. The “A” score was awarded in the latest update to the Hospital Safety ScoreSM. The A, B, C, D or F scores assigned to U.S. hospitals are based on the ability to prevent medical errors, injuries accidents, and infections. St. Mary’s Hospital is the only Hospital in the capital region to attain an “A” rating. The Hospital Safety Score was compiled under the guidance of the nation’s leading experts on patient safety. The first and only hospital safety rating to be peer-reviewed in the Journal of Patient Safety (April 2013), Hospital Safety Score is designed to give the public information they can use to choose the right hospital for themselves and their families. Vic Giulianelli, President and CEO of St. Mary’s, welcomes the recognition of the extensive safety initiatives and positive outcomes delivered by St. Mary’s associates and medical staff. “Clearly, our staff take patient safety seriously. Improving patient safety requires continuous learning and constant communication among clinicians, organizations and patients. Our staff understand that everyone has a role in patient safety and everyone will benefit from its successes. The credit for this “A” rating belongs to our outstanding associates and medical staff. We accept this recognition with a certain amount of humility, understanding that we are on a journey to achieve zero patient injuries. We need to get better, every day in every way.” “Earning an ‘A’ on the Hospital Safety Score demonstrates that this hospital has exhibited excellence in our national database of patient safety measures,” said Leah Binder, President and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “I’d like to congratulate the staff of St. Mary’s Healthcare for your achievements and encourage you to continue to put a priority on the safety of your patients.” To see St. Mary’s scores as they compare nationally and locally, visit the Hospital Safety Score website at hospitalsafetyscore.org, which provides information on how the public can protect themselves and loved ones during a hospital stay. Local hospitals’ scores are also available on the free mobile app, available at hospitalsafetyscore.org. Calculated under the guidance of The Leapfrog Group’s eight-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), 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 (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 St. Mary’s Healthcare, Amsterdam St. Mary’s Healthcare features an award-winning acute care hospital, 10 primary and specialty care centers throughout Fulton and Montgomery counties, more than 30 behavioral health services for persons in Fulton, Montgomery and Hamilton counties, a full continuum of physical rehabilitation services and a 160-bed nursing home. The organization has earned exceptional national rankings for excellence in medicine and has a continuing commitment to provide an exceptional patient experience. Most recently, St. Mary’s earned an “A” rating for hospital safety from Leapfrog; St. Mary’s was the only hospital in the capital region to receive the “A” rating. For more information about St. Mary’s Healthcare, call (518) 842-1900 or visit us online at smha.org. To stay connected to St. Mary’s, follow us on Facebook, facebook/smha.org. St. Mary’s Healthcare is a member of Ascension Health, the largest not-for-profit Catholic healthcare network in the world.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Jun 2013 13:07:44 +0000