UChicago Medicine gets 11^th 'A' for patient safety from Leapfrog

Hyde Park academic medicine center one of 63 nationwide to receive consecutive top marks

April 12, 2017

The University of Chicago Medicine earned an 11th consecutive "A" in patient safety from a prominent industry watchdog organization, according to results released Wednesday.

Only 63 hospitals nationwide have earned continuous top marks in the twice-a-year review by The Leapfrog Group. The organization, which began its semi-annual survey in 2012, reviewed more than 2,600 hospitals across the United States to compile its spring 2017 findings.

"Our caregivers work tirelessly to provide an environment for world-class, life-changing care to our community and patients," said Kenneth S. Polonsky, MD, executive vice president of medical affairs and dean of the Biological Sciences Division and Pritzker School of Medicine. "Our Leapfrog record speaks to the quality, safety and innovation of the care at UChicago Medicine. We are honored to be recognized for this work."

Leapfrog assesses hospitals using 30 publicly available safety metrics, which are selected and reviewed by a panel of experts. Data cover everything from infection rates, surgical complications and medical errors to safety problems and staffing. The group then assigns letter grades of "A," "B," "C," "D" and "F" to hospitals, based on the peer-reviewed findings. The results are free to the public and published on Leapfrog's website.

"Straight 'A' hospitals are a rare breed. Not only do they achieve the highest national standards for safety, but they consistently maintain that level of excellence," said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. "That means that they put the well-being of their patients first, every hour of every day, year after year."