Shawnee Mission Health Awarded an "A" Fall 2016 Hospital Safety Grade

Designed to rate how well hospitals protect patients from accidents, errors, injuries and infections, the latest Hospital Safety Grade honored Shawnee Mission Medical Center (SMMC) with an A its top grade in patient safety. This is the seventh consecutive A for SMMC.

The Hospital Safety Grade is compiled under the guidance of the nations leading experts on patient safety and is administered by The Leapfrog Group, an independent industry watchdog. The score is calculated by top patient safety experts, peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public.

"To earn the top grade for the seventh consecutive time is a testament to our associates' commitment to providing the highest quality patient care," said Administrative Director of Quality and Safety Lori K. Clayman, RN, BSN, MA, CPHQ. "We are honored to be recognized by The Leapfrog Group for excellence in patient safety."

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is a composite score made up of 30 different, nationally-reported patient safety measures that indicate how well hospitals protect patients from preventable errors, injuries, and infections. The Hospital Safety Score assigns A, B, C, D, or F grades to U.S. hospitals. Of the 2,633 hospitals evaluated, 844 earned an A.

To see how SMMC's score compares locally and nationally, access safety tips for patients and their loved ones, or to download the Hospital Safety Grade app, visit the Hospital Safety Grade website at HospitalSafetyGrade.org. For the first time, the Hospital Safety Grade website allows users to view a hospital's current score alongside its previous scores over the past four years.

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 Hospital Safety Grade, 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.