Prime Healthcare's Top Community Hospitals Rank Among the Best with an "A" for Patient Safety in 2018 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades

(Ontario, Calif, April 24, 2018) – Prime Healthcare hospitals spanning six states have been named among the nation's safest hospitals, earning an “A” grade from The Leapfrog Group, a national non-profit that evaluated more than 2,500 hospitals nationwide on their quality and safety measures.

The Hospital Safety Score measures a hospital’s overall performance in keeping patients safe from preventable harm, accidents, infections and medical errors. Award winning hospitals are the best at preventing harm and keeping their patients safe.

“This is the only national rating of how well hospitals protect patients from preventable harm and death, such as medical errors, infections, and injuries,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “Receiving an ‘A’ Safety Grade means a hospital is among the best in the country for preventing these terrible problems and putting their patients first, 24 hours a day.”

Spring 2018 Prime Healthcare hospital awardees include: Coshocton Regional Medical Center and East Liverpool City Hospital in Ohio; Harlingen Medical Center, Knapp Medical Center and Mission Regional Medical Center in Texas; La Palma Intercommunity Hospital in California; Providence Medical Center in Kansas; Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Nevada; and St. Joseph Medical Center and St. Mary’s Medical Center in Missouri.

“We are extremely proud that our hospitals have earned an A for their commitment to deliver best-in-class health care for our patients,” said Prem Reddy, MD, Chairman, President & CEO of Prime Healthcare. “This recognition from Leapfrog is a testament to our patient-centered culture of excellence.”

Leapfrog’s objective, peer-reviewed bi-annual evaluation provides data to help patients and their families make informed decisions about their healthcare and choosing a hospital. Developed under the guidance of the nation’s leading experts on patient safety, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Score is based on an analysis of 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data, including rates of infections, injuries and oversights. Results recognize those hospitals making patient safety and the public reporting of quality and outcome measures a priority.

All Prime Healthcare hospitals are dedicated to creating a culture of high reliability and reducing harm by implementing robust, evidence-based practices that make a positive impact on patients and their quality of care.

“Receiving national recognition from organizations such as The Leapfrog Group is made possible by the collaborative work of our physicians, clinical and support staff with our patients and their families,” said Sunny Bhatia, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Prime Healthcare. “We’re very proud and inspired by our “A” rated hospitals and team members for their commitment to deliver high quality, compassionate healthcare and saving lives."

Among the measures implemented by Prime Healthcare to improve patient safety and outcomes are the bedside shift report to communicate a patient’s care plan with the patient and family at their bedside every shift, and a CPOE system that improves the monitoring of all orders across members of the care team to improve outcomes.

Prime Healthcare also follows National Quality Forum (NQF) endorsed measures to improve leadership structure and systems, maximize feedback and intervention, enhance teamwork training and skill building and identify and mitigate risks and hazards.