Honored with National Distinction for Patient Care

BRIGHTON, MA -  December 2, 2015 – For the first time, The Leapfrog Group has named St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center to its annual list of Top Hospitals. This coveted and respected recognition showcases St. Elizabeth’s commitment to Leapfrog’s vision of providing the safest, highest quality health care for consumers and purchasers alike.

“St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center is honored to be named a ‘Top Hospital’ by the Leapfrog Group,” said Beth Hughes, President of St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center. “This recognition is an affirmation of the quality and safety measures that we employ every day in the care we deliver to our patients. It reflects the commitment of our staff and should provide an added measure of comfort to patients knowing that when they come to St. Elizabeth’s, they are in good hands.”

St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center was one of 98 Top Hospitals recognized and selected from hospitals participating in The Leapfrog Group’s annual survey. The list includes:

•  24 Top Rural Hospitals
• 62 Top Urban Hospitals
• 12 Top Children’s Hospitals

The selection is based on the results of The Leapfrog Group’s annual hospital survey, which measures hospitals’ performance on patient safety and quality, focusing on three critical areas of hospital care: how patients fare, resource use and management structures established to prevent errors. Performance across many areas of hospital care is considered in establishing the qualifications for the award, including survival rates for high-risk procedures and a hospital’s ability to prevent medication errors.

“Leapfrog’s Top Hospital award is widely acknowledged as one of the most prestigious distinctions any hospital can achieve in the United States,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “Top Hospitals have lower infection rates, better outcomes, decreased length of stay and fewer readmissions. By achieving Top Hospital status, St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center has proven it prioritizes the safety of its patients, is committed to transparency and provides exemplary care for its families and patients.  I congratulate the board, staff, and clinicians of St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center whose efforts achieved these results.”

The Top Hospital award is given to urban, rural and children's hospitals that publicly report their performance through the annual Leapfrog Hospital Survey and meet the high standards defined in each year's Top Hospitals Methodology. 

To see the full list of institutions honored as a 2015 Top Hospital, please visit www.leapfroggroup.org/tophospitals.

The Leapfrog Top Hospital award is the latest health care industry recognition for St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center. St. Elizabeth’s was also recently named a Top 50 Cardiovascular Hospital by Truven Health Analytics and has multiple recognitions from Healthgrades, including being named One of America’s Best 100 Hospitals for Health Care and the Healthgrades Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence, ranking it among the top 5% of hospitals in the nation. The medical center has also earned several prestigious cardiac care recognitions from CareChex® – a division of Comparion® including Top 100 Hospitals in the Nation for Medical Excellence for Coronary Bypass Surgery, Cardiac Care and Major Cardiac Surgery for 2016.

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 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.

About St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center
St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center is a major academic medical center affiliated with Tufts University School of Medicine.  Areas of medical excellence include vascular and endovascular surgery, cardiology, neurosciences, general and robotic surgery, bariatric surgery, women’s health, high-risk obstetrics, bone and joint health, hematology/oncology, pulmonary medicine and emergency medicine.  St. Elizabeth’s is a member of Steward Health Care, which is the second largest health care system in New England.  Visit St. Elizabeth’s online at www.semc.org.

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