UM St. Joseph Medical Center Earns Ninth ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group
For the ninth time, University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center, a member organization of the University of Maryland Medical System, has been awarded an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit watchdog that sets standards for excellence in patient care. Leapfrog assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on over 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as the systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm.
“Patient safety is the very core of UM St. Joseph’s mission to provide advanced, compassionate care and service,” said Thomas B. Smyth, MD, UM St. Joseph Medical Center President and CEO. “We’re very proud of our ongoing Grade ‘A’ recognition from The Leapfrog Group. It affirms to those we serve that our dedicated and collaborative work in support of continuous quality improvement ensures a standard of excellence that can be counted on with confidence to save and improve lives.”
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program exclusively based on hospital prevention of medical errors, infections and injuries that kill more than 500 patients a day nationally. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.“
Earning an ‘A’ Grade means that University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center made a true commitment to put patients first,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We congratulate the leadership, Board, clinicians, staff and volunteers that all had a role to play in this achievement.”
To see UM SJMC’s full grade details and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org.
About UM St. Joseph Medical Center
UM St. Joseph Medical Center (UM SJMC), founded in 1864 by the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, is a 221-bed Catholic, not-for-profit regional medical center in Towson, Maryland. A member of the 13-hospital University of Maryland Medical System, UM SJMC is located in suburban Baltimore County, and offers a wide range of superb clinical programs and centers of excellence, including the Cancer, Heart and Orthopaedic Institutes, Women and Children’s services and Emergency Medicine. Our mission: To provide loving service and compassionate, leading-edge care to all. For more information, visit umstjoseph.org.
About The Leapfrog Group
Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps for patient safety. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey and Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog’s other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents and infections.