Edmonds, Wash. — November 7, 2014 — Swedish Edmonds was honored for the third consecutive time with an ‘A’ grade in the Fall 2014 update to the national Hospital Safety Score, which rates how well hospitals protect patients from accidents, errors, injuries and infections. The Hospital Safety Score is compiled under the guidance of the nation’s leading experts on patient safety and is administered by The Leapfrog Group (Leapfrog), an independent industry watchdog. The first and only hospital safety rating to be analyzed in the peer-reviewed Journal of Patient Safety, the Score is designed to give the public information they can use to protect themselves and their families.
“We are pleased to receive this recognition on behalf of all our caregivers at Swedish Edmonds and the community we serve,” said David Jaffe, chief executive at Swedish Edmonds. “Patient safety and quality of care are top priorities at the hospital, and we are very gratified to see that our hard work is making a measurable difference.”
The Hospital Safety Score uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to produce a single grade representing a hospital’s overall capacity to keep patients safe from preventable harm. More than 2,500 general U.S. hospitals were assigned scores in Leapfrog’s fall report. A full analysis of the data and methodology used is available on the Hospital Safety Score website.
“This recognition reflects the outstanding care physicians and staff do on behalf of the patients we serve at Swedish Edmonds every day,” said Bruce Williams, MD and chairman of the Swedish Edmonds Quality and Safety Council.
The Leapfrog achievement is especially meaningful to all caregivers at Swedish Edmonds because patient safety has been emphasized throughout the organization. Changes have occurred that contributed to a culture of safety. For example, representatives from departments meet daily for a safety huddle to discuss safety metrics, concerns and successes.
When the hospital’s largest expansion in 40 years was designed, patient safety was paramount and incorporated into building features that will be evident when the new facility opens about one year from now. The emergency department (ED) patient rooms will have radiological services primarily provided at the bedside, two state-of-the-art trauma rooms and lift equipment in some rooms for a safer patient experience. The two-story, 77,000-square-foot facility will include a new ED, urgent care, observation unit, outpatient diagnostic imaging center, new lobby, public space, 37,000-square-foot shelled second floor and more.
About Swedish Edmonds
Swedish Edmonds is licensed for 217 beds with a professional staff of about 1,400 employees. The hospital is nationally recognized having received an ‘A’ grade in the fall 2013, spring 2014 and fall 2014 updates to the national Hospital Safety Score, compiled under the guidance of the nation’s leading experts on patient safety and administered by The Leapfrog Group (Leapfrog), an independent industry watchdog. Swedish Edmonds has also been honored with the Emergency Nurse Association 2014 Lantern Award and Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence™ Award from HealthGrades®, a leading independent source of physician information and hospital quality ratings, in 2011 and 2012. For more information, visit www.swedish.org/edmonds.
About Swedish
Swedish has grown over the last 103 years to become the largest non-profit health provider in the Greater Seattle area. It is comprised of five hospital campuses (First Hill, Cherry Hill, Ballard, Edmonds and Issaquah); ambulatory care centers in Redmond and Mill Creek; and Swedish Medical Group, a network of more than 100 primary care and specialty clinics located throughout the Greater Puget Sound area. In addition to general medical and surgical care including robotic-assisted surgery, Swedish is known as a regional referral center, providing specialized treatment in areas such as cardiovascular care, cancer care, neuroscience, orthopedics, high-risk obstetrics, pediatric specialties, organ transplantation and clinical research. In 2012, Swedish provided more than $130 million in community benefit in Western Washington. For more information, visit www.swedish.org, www.facebook.com/swedishmedicalcenter or www.twitter.com/swedish.
About The Leapfrog Group
The Leapfrog Group (www.leapfroggroup.org) is a national nonprofit organization using the collective leverage of large purchasers of health care to initiate breakthrough improvements in the safety, quality and affordability of health care for Americans. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey allows purchasers to structure their contracts and purchasing to reward the highest performing hospitals. The Leapfrog Group was founded in November 2000 with support from the Business Roundtable and national funders and is now independently operated with support from its purchaser and other members.
