Spectrum Health Big Rapids Hospital has earned an ‘A’ grade from The Leapfrog Group for patient safety. The designation recognizes efforts and outcomes by hospital staff in protecting patients from harm and providing exceptional care.

“We’re very excited with the distinction,” said Andrea Leslie, president of Spectrum Health Big Rapids, Reed City, United and Kelsey Hospitals. “It’s a credit to the continual efforts of our entire clinical team and many employees focused on patient safety.”

Big Rapids Hospital was one of six Spectrum Health West Michigan hospitals that were awarded ‘As’ in the spring 2020 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade. Spectrum Health United Hospital, Spectrum Health Blodgett Hospital, Spectrum Health Lakeland St. Joseph Hospital, Spectrum Health Ludington Hospital and Spectrum Health Zeeland Community Hospital were also recognized by Leapfrog for providing safer health care. United Hospital and Zeeland Community Hospital were cited with Leapfrog’s “Straight
As” honor for earning at least five consecutive A’s. Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital and Spectrum Health Lakeland Niles Hospital each earned a ‘B’ in the Leapfrog rankings.

 

The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization committed to health care quality and safety. The Safety Grade is a letter grade assigned to all general hospitals across the country and updated every six months, assessing how well the hospital prevents medical errors and other harms to patients.

I’m thrilled for our teams to be recognized with this honor, especially during this time when they are dedicating themselves more than ever to our patients and communities,” said Leslie Jurecko, MD, senior vice president, quality, safety and experience, Spectrum Health.

 

“A focus on safe, high-quality, compassionate care is central to our mission of improving health, inspiring hope and saving lives. It is at the core of our commitment to those we serve.” “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 Spectrum Health. They are role models in putting patients first, and their service has been extraordinary in our country’s time of need.”

 

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.