AdventHealth Again Awarded A for Patient Safety

The Leapfrog Group named AdventHealth Medical Center, with locations in Sebring and Lake Placid, and Wauchula an A in this elite national rating program, recognizing its strong commitment to patient safety. The Hospital Safety Score is the gold standard rating for patient safety, compiled under the guidance of the nations leading patient safety experts and administered by The Leapfrog Group, a national, independent nonprofit.

AdventHealth's A grade is a powerful reminder of our commitment to putting patient safety above all else, and we are pleased to recognize the persistent efforts of our clinicians and staff to protect our patients, stated AdventHealth CFO Rosalie Oliver.

Our families, neighbors, colleagues, and friends deserve a hospital that will pull out all the stops to keep them safe, and AdventHealth achieves that goal, said AdventHealth Vice President and Wauchula Administrator Denise Grimsley. "This hospital staff works day and night every day of the year to respond with quality care. We're glad Leapfrog sees the difference they are making."

Developed under the guidance of Leapfrogs Blue Ribbon Expert Panel, the Hospital Safety Score uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to produce a single A, B, C, D, or F score, representing a hospitals overall capacity to keep patients safe from preventable harm. More than 2,500 U.S. general hospitals were assigned scores in October 2015, with 773 hospitals receiving an A grade. The Hospital Safety Score is fully transparent, offering a full analysis of the data and methodology used in determining grades on the website. Patients can also review their hospitals past safety performance alongside its current grade on the Hospital Safety Score site, allowing them to determine which local hospitals have the best track record in patient safety and which have demonstrated consistent improvement. To see the Highlands and Hardee County full scores, and to access consumer-friendly tips for patients and loved ones visiting the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetyscore.org.

The Leapfrog Hospital Survey sets the highest bar for comparing hospitals performance on the national standards of safety, quality and efficiency that are most relevant to consumers and purchasers of care. The 2015 Top Hospitals list was closely culled from a record number of hospitals voluntarily participating in the survey. The medical staff feels proud, inspired, and engaged to see that AdventHealth Wauchula was one of the 22 rural Top Hospitals in the United States to receive this recognition, said AdventHealth Vice President for Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jorge Gonzalez.

About The Leapfrog Group

Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the quality and safety of American health care. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey collects and transparently reports hospital performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. Hospital Safety Score, Leapfrogs other main initiatives, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections.