UNC REX Healthcare Receives Top Grade on Leapfrog’s Hospital Safety Score
UNC REX the only North Carolina hospital to receive consecutive “A” grades since 2012
RALEIGH, N.C. – UNC REX Healthcare has received the top “A” grade for Leapfrog Group’s Spring 2016 Hospital Safety Score, the highest grade granted to hospitals for keeping patients safe from errors, injuries, accidents and infections. UNC REX is the only hospital in North Carolina to receive straight “A” grades since Leapfrog Group began its national hospital scorecard three years ago.
“I’m proud that UNC REX continues to receive well-deserved recognition for our track record of putting patients’ safety first,” said Steve Burriss, president of UNC REX. “I would like to thank the physicians, nurses and co-workers who ensure a safe environment and the best possible experience and outcome for all of our patients.”
The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization that strives to bring safety, quality and affordability of health care in the U.S. by promoting transparency. The Hospital Safety Score uses a wide range of evidence-based measures related to patient safety to calculate a numerical score for more than 2,500 U.S. hospitals. The numerical safety score is then converted into a letter grade designed to give the public free and unbiased information they can use to protect themselves and their families.
This year, Leapfrog changed its scoring methodology to add several new measures, including nurse communication, doctor communication, staff responsiveness, discharge information and communication about medicines. And, for the first time, the score includes two new infection measures, MRSA Bacteremia and C.difficile.
Since the launch of the Hospital Safety Score in 2012, Rex is one of only 153 hospitals nationwide to have earned an “A” in each of the twice-annual updates of the score—approximately 5 percent of all graded hospitals.
To see UNC REX’s score, view a list of state rankings and find safety tips for patients, visit the Hospital Safety Score website at www.hospitalsafetyscore.org.
About UNC REX Healthcare
UNC REX Healthcare, a member of UNC Health Care, is a private, not-for-profit health care system with more than 5,700 co-workers. UNC REX has 660 beds (433 general acute beds and 227 skilled nursing) and treats nearly 34,000 inpatients each year. UNC REX offers dedicated centers for cancer, surgery, heart and vascular, post-acute rehabilitation and skilled nursing care, wellness and women’s care plus dedicated services for bariatric, heartburn, pain management, sleep disorders, diabetes education, wound and emergency care. UNC REX’s medical staff includes more than 1,100 physicians and 1,700 nurses. UNC REX provides various health care services throughout Wake County with facilities in Apex, Cary, Garner, Holly Springs, Knightdale, Wakefield and downtown Raleigh. UNC REX was the only urban hospital in North Carolina on Leapfrog’s 2015 list of the nation’s top hospitals. Visit rexhealth.com for more information.
About The Leapfrog Group
Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group (www.leapfroggroup.org), 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. Hospital Safety Score, Leapfrog’s other main initiative, 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.
