The Valley Hospital Awarded an “A” for Patient Safety for Third Consecutive Time
May 8, 2013 – For the third consecutive time, The Valley Hospital has been honored with an “A” for patient safety. Hospitals nationwide received Hospital Safety Scores of A, B, C, D, or F based on preventable medical errors, injuries accidents, and infections in a report released this week by The Leapfrog Group, an independent, national not-for-profit organization of employer purchasers of health care.
Of the 2,514 general hospitals issued a safety score in the Leapfrog report, only 780 – roughly the top 31percent – earned an “A.”
The Hospital Safety Score was compiled under the guidance of the nation’s leading experts on patient safety and is designed to give the public information they can use to protect themselves and their families. Today’s release is the latest update to the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Score, which was first released last June.
“We are pleased and proud to once again be among the select group of hospitals to have received an “A” for patient safety,” said Mitchell Rubinstein, M.D., Vice President of Medical Affairs, The Valley Hospital. “This top grade is a reflection and a result of our longstanding focus on and commitment to patient safety and quality care.”
“Earning an ‘A’ on the Hospital Safety Score demonstrates that this hospital has exhibited excellence in our national database of patient safety measures,” said Leah Binder, President and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “I’d like to congratulate The Valley Hospital for your achievements and encourage you to continue to put a priority on the safety of your patients.”
To see The Valley Hospital’s scores as they compare nationally and locally, visit the Hospital Safety Score website at www.hospitalsafetyscore.org, which also provides information on how the public can protect themselves and loved ones during a hospital stay. People can also check their local hospital’s score on the free mobile app, available at www.hospitalsafetyscore.org.
Calculated under the guidance of The Leapfrog Group’s eight-member Blue Ribbon Expert Panel, the Hospital Safety Score uses 26 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to produce a single score representing a hospital’s overall capacity to keep patients safe from infections, injuries, and medical and medication errors. The panel includes: John Birkmeyer (University of Michigan), Ashish Jha (Harvard University), Arnold Millstein (Stanford University), Peter Pronovost (Johns Hopkins University), Patrick Romano (University of California, Davis), Sara Singer (Harvard University), Tim Vogus (Vanderbilt University), and Robert Wachter (University of California, San Francisco).
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.
About The Valley Hospital
The Valley Hospital, a 451-bed, acute care, not-for-profit hospital located in Ridgewood, NJ, is part of Valley Health System, which also includes Valley Home Care and Valley Medical Group. Valley is an affiliate of NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System and the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions. These include 10 consecutive recognitions for service excellence by J.D. Power and Associates for inpatient and emergency department care, and two major awards for patient safety and quality care from the Leapfrog Group, which ranked Valley among the top hospitals in the nation. Valley is ranked No. 1 in NJ by Healthgrades for overall cardiac services, cardiac surgery, and coronary interventional procedures. Valley has also been honored twice with “Magnet” designation – the nursing profession’s highest honor. Key services include cardiology, oncology, women’s and children’s services, emergency care, orthopedics, and neurosciences.
For more information please visit www.valleyhealth.com.
Although we can complain about their expansion plans we should give Valley credit for delivering a patient experience that by virtually all nationally recognized healthcare metrics is absolutely first rate. Oh by the way, I am not pro-Valley , but I do like it that quality healthcare is available locally.
Unfortunately Valley’s ruthless pursuit of its expansion agenda has irreparably damaged its standing in our community. It has become clear that providing quality care is merely one of its priorities. Let’s hope it made the top 10.
quality healthcare is available locally. if Valley is in your insurance network