UAB and UAB Highlands hospitals received the maximum safety scores in a number of categories, including staff handwashing, computerized medication ordering and staff collaboration to prevent errors.
UAB Hospital and UAB Highlands Hospital have earned an A grade on patient safety from the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, a public service of the Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit organization committed to driving quality, safety and transparency in the United States’ health system.
The organization rated approximately 2,500 hospitals across the nation, using national performance measures from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Leapfrog Hospital Survey, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the American Hospital Association’s Annual Survey and Health Information Technology Supplement. Only seven Alabama hospitals received an A grade.
Leapfrog assembled a 10-person panel of public safety experts from across the country to produce the grades. The panel examined 27 measures of hospital safety data and determined the weight of each measure based on evidence, opportunity for improvement and impact.
UAB and UAB Highlands hospitals received the maximum safety scores in a number of categories, including staff handwashing, computerized medication ordering and staff collaboration to prevent errors.
Leapfrog also reported that both hospitals received maximum scores in effective leadership, qualified nursing and specially trained intensive care physicians. The safety grades are issued every six months, and this is the fourth consecutive period in which UAB and UAB Highlands hospitals received A grades.
“Patient safety is of the utmost importance, and UAB Medicine has taken innovative steps to maintain the highest possible safety standards,” said Loring Rue, M.D., UAB Hospital chief medical officer. “We have identified opportunities for improvement as a result of the survey and the internal assessment done in preparation for its completion, leading to steady improvement in the Hospital Safety Score. Our Magnet nursing designation, Partners in your Care program and fall prevention team are just a few examples of our efforts that have created an enterprisewide culture of safety.”
UAB is part of the national Surgical Care Improvement Project and has participated in the CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network for several decades.