UNC Health Hospitals Earn Top ‘A’ Safety Scores from Leapfrog Group
UNC Medical Center, UNC REX, Nash, Pardee and Lenoir receive top grades
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Dec. 14, 2020 – The Leapfrog Group has awarded multiple UNC Health hospitals with top “A” grades on its Fall 2020 patient safety report card: UNC Medical Center in Chapel Hill, UNC REX Healthcare in Raleigh, Nash UNC Health in Rocky Mount, Pardee UNC Health in Hendersonville and UNC Lenoir Health in Kinston.
“This year has been incredibly challenging for all health organizations, which makes this Leapfrog recognition even more appreciated,” said Dr. Wesley Burks, CEO of UNC Health. “I’d like to thank all of our co-workers and physicians for their dedication to providing safe and excellent care for our patients during this pandemic. Our hospitals are committed to remaining leaders in health and safety as we look ahead to 2021.”
The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization committed to health care quality and safety. The Safety Grade assigns an ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, ‘D’ or ‘F’ grade to all general hospitals across the country and is updated every six months. It is based on a hospital’s performance in preventing medical errors, injuries, accidents, infections and other harms to patients in their care.
“We are extremely grateful to hospital leadership and health care workers who have remained steadfast in prioritizing patient safety as our nation battles COVID-19,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “An ‘A’ grade is a testament to the care and commitment of those who work for UNC Health. With the current pandemic exposing existing flaws within the U.S. health care system, we appreciate you putting patient safety first. Lives depend on it.”
Developed under the guidance of a national Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses up to 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year. The Leapfrog’s grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public.
UNC REX is the only hospital in North Carolina – and one of only 29 hospitals nationwide – to be awarded an ‘A’ in every Leapfrog grading cycle since 2012. Last week, Leapfrog named UNC REX as one of the “Top Hospitals” nationwide for 2020.
To see any hospital’s full grade details, and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetygrade.org or follow the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade on Twitter and Facebook.
About UNC Health
UNC Health is an integrated health care system owned by the state of North Carolina and based in Chapel Hill. It exists to further the teaching mission of the University of North Carolina and to provide state-of-the-art patient care.
UNC Health is comprised of UNC Hospitals at Chapel Hill, ranked consistently among the best medical centers in the country; the UNC School of Medicine, a nationally eminent research institution; Pardee UNC Health Care in Hendersonville; Chatham Hospital in Siler City; Johnston Health in Clayton and Smithfield; UNC Lenoir Health Care in Kinston; Wayne UNC Health Care in Goldsboro; Caldwell UNC Health Care in Lenoir; Nash UNC Health Care in Rocky Mount; UNC Rockingham Health Care in Eden, Onslow Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, UNC REX Healthcare and its provider network in Wake County; and the UNC Physicians Network.
For more information, please visit www.unchealthcare.org.
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 and new Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, 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.
