Ascension Sacred Heart’s Emerald Coast hospital was recently awarded an ‘A’ from The Leapfrog Group’s Fall 2019 Hospital Safety Grade. The designation recognizes the hospital’s efforts in protecting patients from harm and meeting the highest safety standards.

The Leapfrog Group is a national organization committed to improving health care quality and safety for consumers and purchasers. The Safety Grade assigns an A, B, C, D or F grade to hospitals across the country based on their performance in preventing medical errors, infections and other harms among patients in their care.

“Protecting patients from harm is our most important responsibility,” said Roger Hall, president of Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast. “We are honored to be recognized as one of the nation’s safest healthcare facilities and will continue in our commitment to improving the safety and care of our patients.”

Leapfrog ratings are based on process and structural measures such as hand hygiene, risk mitigation, and discharge communication, as well as outcome measures such as falls, pressure ulcers, and infections.

In its most recent survey, Leapfrog graded more than 2,600 hospitals nationwide with the breakdown as follows: 33 percent earned an “A,” 25 percent earned a “B,” 34 percent earned a “C,” 8 percent a “D” and just under 1 percent an “F.”

“Hospitals with an “A” grade show us their leadership is protecting patients from preventable medical harm and error,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “It takes genuine commitment at every level – from clinicians to administrators to the board of directors – and we congratulate the teams who have worked so hard to earn this A.”

Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast also was one of only nine hospitals in Florida to receive the top 5-star rating from Medicare’s Hospital Compare website. Medicare’s overall hospital rating summarizes a variety of measures across 7 areas of quality into a single star rating for each hospital.

To learn more about Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast, visit ascension.org.

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