UChicago Medicine earns 10th straight 'A' for hospital safety rating

Hyde Park academic medical center 1 of 72 facilities nationwide to snag consecutive top marks

October 31, 2016

The University of Chicago Medicine earned its 10th consecutive straight "A" rating in hospital safety, according to a new report card released Monday by a prominent industry watchdog.

The South Side academic medical center is one of only 72 hospitals nationwide to score continued top marks from the Leapfrog Group, which began issuing its semi-annual report card in 2012.

"For five years, Leapfrog has done a comprehensive assessment of hospital quality and safety and for the past five years, UChicago Medicine has proven, each and every time, that it's a national leader in the field," said Kenneth Polonsky, MD, executive vice president of medical affairs and dean of the Biological Sciences Division at the University of Chicago. "As an institution, we're committed to providing nothing less than safe and exemplary care."

The Fall 2016 Hospital Safety Grade survey reviewed more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals and assigned them a letter grade of A, B, C, D, or F. Hospitals earned their grade based on how well they fared on 30 different publicly available safety measures.

"Earning Straight 'As' in the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is a remarkable achievement and testament to a hospital's ongoing vigilance and commitment to patient safety," said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group.

The grades are calculated by top patient safety experts. The material is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public.

"For patients and for their families, hospital safety can be a matter of life and death," said Sharon O'Keefe, president of the University of Chicago Medical Center. "We work with our employees – everyone from support staff to front-line clinicians – to build and sustain a culture where safety is paramount, which ensures we provide the best possible care for our patients."

To see UChicago Medicine's scores as they compare locally and nationally, visit www.hospitalsafetygrade.org. Leapfrog offers a full analysis of the data and methodology used in determining grades on the Hospital Safety Score website. Consumers can also find tips on how to protect themselves and loved ones during a hospital visit or stay, as well as a hospital's past safety performance.