The Leapfrog Group’s annual class of top hospitals – 65 from a field of nearly 1200 – was announced December 6th in Washington, D.C. and included Hackensack University Medical Center for a second time – the only hospital in New Jersey to receive this honor two years in a row. The announcement came at Leapfrog’s Annual Meeting where the group celebrated the five year anniversary of its ground breaking Never Events Policy.
“The Leapfrog Group commends HackensackUMC for its continued commitment to patient safety, quality, and transparency. By participating in Leapfrog’s Hospital Survey, Hackensack can demonstrate to the people of New Jersey how they compare to other New Jersey hospitals and other hospitals across the country. This year, that comparison is quite favorable as Hackensack has once again earned Leapfrog’s highest national designation: Top Hospital. We congratulate Hackensack on meeting the highest standards of safety and quality in the nation,” said Leah Binder, CEO, The Leapfrog Group.
The 2011 list includes university and other teaching hospitals, children’s hospitals and community hospitals in rural, suburban and urban settings. The selection is based on the results of the Leapfrog Group’s national survey that measures hospitals’ performance in crucial areas of patient safety and quality. The results of the survey are posted on a website open to the patients and families, the public and employers and other purchasers of health care. It is the most complete picture available of a hospital’s quality and safety. The website is www.leapfroggroup.org.
“We value this prestigious honor and recognition from Leapfrog. This is a true indication that HackensackUMC is being recognized for exceptional quality and patient safety,” said Robert C. Garrett, president and chief executive officer of HackensackUMC. “We applaud the Leapfrog group for all their efforts to raise awareness of important clinical quality and patient safety initiatives in hospital settings.”
The survey, which launched in 2001, focuses on four critical areas of patient safety: the use of computer physician order entry (CPOE) to prevent medication errors; standards for doing high-risk procedures such as heart surgery; protocols and policies to reduce medical errors and other safe practices recommended by the National Quality Forum; and adequate nurse and physician staffing. In addition, hospitals are measured on their progress in preventing infections and other hospital-acquired conditions and adopting policies on the handling of serious medical errors, among other things.
The Leapfrog Group is a coalition of public and private purchasers of employee health coverage founded a decade ago to work for improvements in health care safety, quality and affordability. The Leapfrog Hospital Survey is the only voluntary effort of its kind. The survey, which launched in 2001, focuses on four critical areas of patient safety: the use of computer physician order entry (CPOE) to prevent medication errors; standards for doing high-risk procedures such as heart surgery; protocols and policies to reduce medical errors and other safe practices recommended by the National Quality Forum; and adequate nurse and physician staffing. In addition, hospitals are measured on their progress in preventing infections and other hospital-acquired conditions and adopting policies on the handling of serious medical errors, among other things. View and compare hospital survey results at www.leapfroggroup.org/cp.
PHOTO CAPTION:
The Leapfrog Group’s annual class of top hospitals – 65 from a field of nearly 1200 – was announced December 6th in Washington, D.C. and included Hackensack University Medical Center for a second time – the only hospital in New Jersey to receive this honor two years in a row. Pictured from left to right: David Knowlton, New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute; Robert Fakelmann, R.Ph., MBA, administrative clinical services, Hackensack University Medical Center; Leah Binder, The Leapfrog Group; and Keith Reissaus, chair, The Leapfrog Group.