AdventHealth West Florida Division tops the list once again with straight A's for patient safety

December 4, 2018 (Tampa) – AdventHealth West Florida Division has once again earned the highest marks possible for patient safety and quality. Today, the prestigious Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit health care ratings organization, announced the Top Hospitals in the country and AdventHealth Carrollwood, AdventHealth Sebring, AdventHealth Wesley Chapel and AdventHealth Zephyrhills all received the Top General Hospital award. Additionally, AdventHealth Wauchula earned the Top Rural Hospital designation.

Top General Hospital is an elite designation that only 35 hospitals in the country, and just 10 in Florida, received from the Leapfrog safety group, and West Florida Division makes up four of the 10 awarded in the Sunshine State. This is the second Top General Hospital designation for AdventHealth Carrollwood and the first for AdventHealth Wesley Chapel and AdventHealth Zephyrhills. AdventHealth Wauchula has earned recognition as Top Rural Hospital for the fifth time, and is the only rural hospital in Florida to earn the award.

“AdventHealth, formerly Florida Hospital, only wants the very best care possible for every patient, every time,” said Mike Schultz, President and CEO, AdventHealth, West Florida Division. “We are committed to excellence, and to investing in our people and our hospitals in order to achieve the highest quality of care every patient deserves,” said Schultz.

Seven participating hospitals in the AdventHealth West Florida Division also received an A in patient safety from the Leapfrog Group, including AdventHealth Carrollwood (8th consecutive A), AdventHealth Lake Placid (9th consecutive A), AdventHealth North Pinellas (11th consecutive A), AdventHealth Sebring (2nd consecutive A), AdventHealth Tampa (2nd consecutive A), AdventHealth Wesley Chapel (8th consecutive A), AdventHealth Zephyrhills (2nd consecutive A).

The Safety Grade assigns letter grades of A, B, C, D and F to hospitals nationwide based on their performance in preventing medical errors, infections and other harms.

“This accomplishment wouldn’t be possible without our leadership, physicians and staff who are committed to this journey of excellence, and providing the best care possible to our patients,” said Dr. Robin McGuinness, Senior Executive Officer of Patient Outcomes, AdventHealth, West Florida Division. “We are experiencing tremendous growth in the West Florida Division and we are on a journey to ensure all of our hospitals reach an “A” grade in patient safety and follow the guidelines The Leapfrog Group sets as the standard for safe practices,” said McGuinness.

AdventHealth Voluntarily* participates in the Leapfrog assessment and provides full transparency to our hospitals and our data to patient safety experts for review. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade measures 27 areas of hospital safety and scores hospitals with A, B, C, D and F grades based on that data.

To qualify for the Top Hospitals distinction, hospitals must submit a Leapfrog Hospital Survey. The selection of Top Hospitals 2018 is based on surveys from nearly 1,900 hospitals. To see the full list of institutions honored as 2018 Top Hospitals, visit www.leapfroggroup.org/tophospitals.

*Florida Hospital acquired AdventHealth Ocala (formerly Munroe Regional Medical Center) effective August 1, 2018. AdventHealth Ocala participated in the Leapfrog safety assessment under previous ownership and received a D in patient safety. AdventHealth acquired AdventHealth Dade City (formerly Bayfront Health Dade City) effective April 1, 2018. AdventHealth Dade City has not yet participated in the Leapfrog safety assessment.

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. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog’s other main initiative, 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.