November 16, 2022 – NCH Baker Hospital and NCH North Naples Hospital have both received an “A” Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade for fall 2022. This national distinction recognizes achievements in protecting patient safety and reducing avoidable harm. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospital prevention of medical errors and harm to patients and is updated bi-annually for nearly 3,000 hospitals across the country.
An “A” grade from the Leapfrog Group is the gold standard for measuring hospital patient safety and is a major achievement for those who earn it.
In the past three years, NCH has come a long way to achieve today’s A grade from Leapfrog by becoming an Advanced Community Healthcare SystemTM. That means providing for more fellowship and Graduate Medical Education opportunities to attract the best and brightest physicians to our area, and participating in national clinical trials in an effort to lead in the advancement of medicine to southwest Florida. NCH is also consistently reviewing data to improve quality metrics and safety while enhancing the patient experience.
The fruits of this labor rest in the quality outcomes NCH Healthcare System is able to provide to those they serve. NCH has been nationally recognized for its exceptional level of quality and is ranked 15th in the state of Florida, as well as named a “top 100 hospital in the nation” by other third-party healthcare quality rating organizations, and on November 16, Leapfrog once again awarded NCH with an “A” grade for both hospitals.
“The “A” grades from Leapfrog Group are confirmation that our dedication to ensure a safe hospital environment for our patients is being noticed nationally,” said Carlos Quintero, MD, Chief Quality Officer, NCH Healthcare System. “But even with the highest grade possible bestowed upon us, we remain committed to doing better and striving even higher as we continue our journey to ensure that NCH patients get the highest quality care available anywhere.”
The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” grade to hospitals across the country based on over thirty national performance measures reflecting errors, injuries, accidents and infections, as well as systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm.
“The NCH Healthcare System continually strives to offer those we serve the very best patient experience through quality outcomes and focus on safety,” said Paul Hiltz, President and CEO, NCH Healthcare System. “I would like to thank our dedicated staff for their commitment to this goal which has earned both NCH Healthcare System hospitals this wonderful recognition.”
“I applaud the hospital leadership and workforce for their strong commitment to safety and transparency,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “An ‘A’ Safety Grade is a sign that hospitals are continuously evaluating their performance, so that they can best protect patients. Your hospital team should be extremely proud of their dedication and achievement.”
