Four Swedish hospitals achieve top safety ranking awarded by the Leapfrog Group
SEATTLE — May 7, 2014 — Swedish Health Services’ Ballard, Edmonds, First Hill and Issaquah hospitals have received ‘A’ grades for patient safety in the Spring 2014 update to the Leapfrog Group’s Hospital Safety Score. Swedish/First Hill has now received a top patient safety rating from Leapfrog for five straight score releases, making it one of only 251 hospitals in the nation to do so.
Swedish/Issaquah earned a top grade for the first time it was eligible.
“At Swedish, safety is our greatest commitment to patients, and that is why we constantly refer to our Culture of Safety,” said Swedish Chief Executive Anthony Armada. “This recognition by Leapfrog is greatly appreciated and humbling, but safety is more than just a goal, it is a never-ending process that is at the heart of the care we provide.”
The biannual report provides grades of A, B, C, D or F for more than 2,500 hospitals across the nation based on how well they protect patients from accidents, errors, injuries and infections. The Hospital Safety Score is compiled by The Leapfrog Group, an independent health care industry watchdog. The first and only hospital safety rating to be analyzed in the peer-reviewed Journal of Patient Safety, the report is designed to give the public information they can use to protect themselves and their families.
About Swedish
Founded in 1910, Swedish is 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 2013, Swedish provided nearly $143 million in community benefit in Western Washington. For more information, visit www.swedish.org, www.facebook.com/swedishmedicalcenter, or www.twitter.com/swedish.
