Baptist Medical Center Beaches receives an ‘A’ Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade

Baptist Medical Center Beaches received an “A” for patient safety, the highest grade, in the spring 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades. The designation recognizes Baptist Beaches’ efforts in protecting patients from harm and meeting the highest safety standards.

The Leapfrog Group, a Washington, D.C.-based organization aiming to improve health care quality and safety for consumers and purchasers, released the new Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades today. Only 32 % of graded hospitals in the nation were awarded an “A” for their commitment to health care quality and safety.

“Our entire caregiving team is dedicated to ensuring the highest level of safety for our patients and their families,” said Joe Mitrick, FACHE, hospital president of Baptist Beaches. “It’s an honor to receive an ‘A’ grade, as it is a testament to the team’s continued commitment to providing patients with the highest quality of care.”

Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville and Baptist Medical Center Nassau also received an “A” grade.

“Our health care teams are dedicated to following strict safety and quality protocols at every step throughout the patient’s journey,” said David Rice, MD, senior vice president and chief quality officer of Baptist Health. “We emphasize and cultivate a culture of safety every single day.”

The Safety Grade assigns an A, B, C, D or F grade to hospitals across the country based on their performance in preventing medical errors, infections and other harms among patients in their care. Developed under the guidance of a National Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent to the public.

“To be recognized nationally as an ‘A’ hospital is an accomplishment the whole community should take pride in,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “Hospitals that earn an ‘A’ grade are making it a priority to protect patients from preventable medical harm and error. We congratulate hospital leaders, board members, staff, volunteers and clinicians who work so hard to earn this A.”

In addition to the Leapfrog grade, the National Research Corporation has named Baptist Health the “Most Preferred Healthcare Provider” every year since 1990. All five hospitals have also earned the Magnet™ Designation, the highest honor for excellence in patient care.

To see Baptist Health’s full Leapfrog grade or to learn more, visit www.hospitalsafetygrade.org.