Winchester Medical Center Nationally Recognized With an ‘a’ for Spring 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade

Valley Health Winchester Medical Center (WMC) received an “A” grade in the spring 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, a national distinction recognizing the regional hospital’s achievements protecting patients from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections.

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospitals’ prevention of medical errors and other harms to patients in their care. The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization committed to healthcare quality and safety. 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 an “A” through “F” grade to more than 2,700 general acute care hospitals across the country every six months.

“We are proud and honored to again be recognized with a top safety grade from Leapfrog,” said Grady W. (Skip) Philips, III, Valley Health Senior Vice President and President of Winchester Medical Center. “Particularly as we begin to emerge from a challenging year of COVID-19 care, we are mindful of the vital role every physician and employee plays in ensuring the safety of all our patients, staff, and the larger community. A Leapfrog ‘A’ grade affirms our organization-wide culture of safety and our commitment to delivering high-quality care for every patient, every time.”

“Patient safety and quality are our top priorities and we are proud to again receive an ‘A’ in the latest round of Leapfrog hospital safety assessments,” said Nicolas Restrepo, MD, Valley Health Patient Safety Officer. “Our physicians and staff are steadfast in their focus on preventing harm and safeguarding our patients, working together as we strive to ensure that ‘what should happen, happens, and what should not, does not, 100% of the time.’”

In December, Leapfrog named WMC a 2020 Top Hospital, one of only 105 facilities in the country to be so honored. The Leapfrog Top Hospital award is widely acknowledged as one of the most competitive awards American hospitals can receive. Winchester Medical Center was one of only 48 named in the Top Teaching Hospital category.

“An ‘A’ safety grade is an elite designation that your community should be proud of,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “The past year has been extraordinarily difficult for hospitals, but Winchester Medical Center shows us it is possible to keep a laser focus on patients and their safety, no matter what it takes.”

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.

To see Winchester Medical Center’s full-grade details and access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit hospitalsafetygrade.org.