UNC Health Hospitals Earn Top ‘A’ Safety Scores from Leapfrog Group
UNC Medical Center, UNC REX, Johnston Health, Pardee and Lenoir receive top grades
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – April 30, 2020 – Multiple UNC Health hospitals received top “A” grades from the Leapfrog Group on its Spring 2020 patient safety report card: UNC Medical Center in Chapel Hill, UNC REX Healthcare in Raleigh, Johnston Health in Smithfield, Pardee UNC Health in Hendersonville and UNC Lenoir Health in Kinston.
“During this critical time, when all of our team members are working incredibly hard to provide safe and excellent care for patients, this type of recognition is especially welcomed,” said Dr. Wesley Burks, CEO of UNC Health. “The challenges due to coronavirus are new, but our hospitals remain dedicated to delivering safe and excellent care for all of North Carolina.”
Developed under the guidance of a national Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses up to 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.
“As the nation copes with a challenging pandemic, our gratitude extends to hospital leadership and health care workers everywhere for their tremendous dedication,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We hope this ‘A’ helps to thank the people who work and volunteer for UNC Health. They are role models in putting patients first, and their service has been extraordinary in our country’s time of need.”
The Safety Grade assigns an ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, ‘D’ or ‘F’ grade to all general hospitals across the country based on their performance in preventing medical errors, injuries, accidents, infections and other harms to patients in their care.
UNC REX is the only hospital in North Carolina – and one of only 32 hospitals nationwide – to receive straight As since Leapfrog began grading hospitals for safety in 2012.
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. UNC Health is committed to empowering health, not just health care. We are proactively focused on healthy-based, personalized care, changing people’s lives for the better.
UNC Health is comprised of UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill, ranked consistently among the best medical centers in the country; Pardee UNC Health 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.unchealth.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.
