UM BWMC Recognized By Leapfrog Group For Patient Safety

Glen Burnie, MD – For the second consecutive reporting period, the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center (UM BWMC) was awarded an 'A' in the spring 2020 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Guide, a national distinction recognizing UM BWMC's achievements protecting patients from harm and providing safe health care. The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization driven by employers and other purchasers of health care committed to improving health care quality and safety for consumers and purchasers. The Safety Grade assigns an 'A', 'B', 'C', 'D' or 'F' grade to all general hospitals across the country based on their performance in preventing medical errors, injuries, accidents, infections and other harms to patients in their care.

"UM BWMC is pleased to receive this rating for two consecutive reporting periods and we are proud of that," said Karen E. Olscamp, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer at UM BWMC. "This recognition is a reflection of the longstanding commitment by our staff and physicians to keep our patients safe by using best-practices for exceptional outcomes."

"Earning another 'A' grade from The Leapfrog Group is an exceptional accomplishment," said Neel Vibhakar, MD, MBA, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at UM BWMC. "It confirms the continuous effort and dedication of our exemplary team of health care professionals who provide outstanding care every day to each patient."

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. acute-care hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade's methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.