Northern Hospital of Surry County was recognized for its dedication to patient safety by being awarded an A grade in the Spring 2015 Hospital Safety Score, which rates how well hospitals protect patients from errors, injuries and infections.
This A grade is one of the most meaningful honors a hospital can achieve, and one of the most valuable indicators for patients looking for a safe place to receive care. The Hospital Safety Score is the gold standard rating for patient safety, compiled under the guidance of the nation’s leading patient safety experts and administered by The Leapfrog Group, a national, nonprofit hospital safety watchdog. The first and only hospital safety rating to be peer-reviewed in the Journal of Patient Safety, the Score is free to the public and designed to give consumers information they can use to protect themselves and their families when facing a hospital stay.
“We are so proud of the hard work and dedication of our clinical and quality staff who have consistently earned this grade A safety score. We take pride in caring for our patients and ensuring their safety is number one. It’s an honor to be one of only the 31 percent of hospitals nationwide receiving a top score,” said Robin Hodgin, Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer.
“Northern Hospital’s A grade validates its achievement in preventing harm within the hospital, and we are proud to recognize the efforts of the care providers and staff,” said Leah Binder, President and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, which administers the Hospital Safety Score. “Patient safety requires constant vigilance, and we encourage Northern Hospital and all other A hospitals to continue demonstrating unrelenting commitment to patients by consistently providing a safe environment for care.”
Developed under the guidance of Leapfrog’s Blue Ribbon Expert Panel, the Hospital Safety Score uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to produce a single A, B, C, D, or F score, representing a hospital’s overall capacity to keep patients safe from preventable harm. More than 2,500 U.S. general hospitals were assigned scores in April 2015, with about 31-percent receiving an A grade. The Hospital Safety Score is fully transparent, offering a full analysis of the data and methodology used in determining grades on the website. Now, for the first time, patients can also review their hospital’s past safety performance alongside its current grade on the Hospital Safety Score site, allowing them to determine which local hospitals have the best track record in patient safety and which have demonstrated consistent improvement.
To see how Northern Hospital’s score compares locally and nationally, and to access consumer-friendly tips for patients and their loved ones, visit the newly updated Hospital Safety Score website at www.hospitalsafetyscore.org. Consumers can also go to www.hospitalsafetyscore.org for a free download of the Hospital Safety Score mobile app.
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. The 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 Northern Hospital
Northern Hospital of Surry County is an award winning facility with a number of outpatient service locations and physician offices providing a comprehensive array of services to meet the needs of the community. Northern is ranked a Tier 1 hospital by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina because of top ratings for both clinical and quality outcomes, cost-efficiency and accessibility. Northern has earned back to back Grade “A” Hospital Safety Scores from The Leapfrog Group. Northern has been recognized as a Top Performer on Key Quality Measures® by The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of health care organizations in the United States. The state-of-the art Surgery Center houses a wide range of in and outpatient procedures including orthopedics, gynecology, gastroenterology, urological, surgeries of the eye, and other general surgeries. Located in Mount Airy, North Carolina and serving the northwest Piedmont region of NC and neighboring counties in southwest Virginia. For more information, please call (336) 719-7000 or visit www.northernhospital.com
