Culture of safety: Baptist Beaches receives top grades for patient safety

Baptist Health is pleased to announce Baptist Medical Center Beaches has received top marks for safety, quality and transparency from the Leapfrog Group. This is the 14th consecutive “A” safety ranking the hospital has received from the independent nonprofit organization focused on helping consumers make informed choices in their health care.

The “A” rating places Baptist Beaches among the top 32% of hospitals nationwide. It is also designated a “Straight A” hospital, an honor reserved for institutions that have sustained an “A” grade for the past five or more grading periods.

“We are immensely proud of our 14-cycle safety streak,” said Jarret Dreicer, FACHE, MHA, MS, hospital president of Baptist Beaches. “We are committed to maintaining a supportive environment where everyone can receive and provide care with confidence.”

The Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group assigns letter grades based on hospitals’ performance measures and processes designed to protect patients and improve outcomes and experiences. The independent grading system helps patients make informed decisions to protect themselves and their loved ones. The program is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public.

Letter grades of “A” through “F” are calculated using 22 national, evidence-based performance measures from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, combined with additional information Baptist Health voluntarily submits for the overall score.

“Safety doesn’t happen by chance,” said Jeremy Goodman, MD, MBA, FACHE, senior vice president and system quality officer at Baptist Health. “This ranking is a testament to our team members’ continued dedication to the safety of our patients, their families and each other.”

Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades for adult hospitals are released twice a year, in May and November, with around 3,000 general acute-care hospitals across the U.S. receiving a rating.

The score takes into consideration:

• Process measures (how a hospital gives patients a recommended treatment, including the responsiveness of hospital staff)
• Structural measures (the environment where patients receive care)
• Outcome measures (what happens to a patient while receiving care)

Rankings for Wolfson Children’s Hospital, and other pediatric hospitals across the U.S., are due to be released in December.

To learn more about Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades, please visit hospitalsafetygrade.org.