Shawnee Mission Health Awarded an A Spring 2016 Hospital Safety Score

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

The Hospital Safety Score 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 sixth 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 Hospital Safety Score assigns A, B, C, D, or F grades to U.S. hospitals. Of the 2,571 hospitals issued a Hospital Safety Score in spring 2016, 798 earned an A. The Leapfrog Groups findings indicate a nine percent higher risk of avoidable death in B hospitals, 35 percent higher in C hospitals, and 50 percent higher in D and F hospitals, than in A hospitals.

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 Score app, visit the Hospital Safety Score website at HospitalSafetyScore.org. For the first time, the Hospital Safety Score website allows users to view a hospital's current score alongside its previous scores over the past three 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 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