Ashtabula County Medical Center | ACMC Pulse | Summer 2020

ACMC Pulse • acmchealth.org 13 ASHTABULA COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER WAS AWARDED AN “A” in the spring 2020 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, a national distinction recognizing ACMC’s achievements in providing safe healthcare. The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization committed to healthcare 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. “This is the third consecutive ‘A’ rating that ACMC has received from The Leapfrog Group for patient safety,” said ACMC Healthcare System President and CEO Michael Habowski. “Receiving the ‘A’ once is an honor. To receive it for two consecutive ratings periods validates the hospital’s dedication to patient safety. Receiving it three times in a row is proof that a culture of safety drives every level of care at ACMC.” Why it matters The Leapfrog Group identifies a difference between patient safety and quality. Safety focuses on preventing harm and avoiding bad outcomes, while quality focuses on the efficiency, effectiveness or purposefulness of the care received. Safety makes it less likely that mistakes can occur. Put another way, quality is often subjective, whereas safety is measurable and can be quantified. That difference makes ratings by independent companies like The Leapfrog Group so valuable to patients when they DEDICATED TO KEEPING YOU SAFE To see ACMC’s full grade details and access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit hospitalsafetygrade.org . ACMC achieves ‘A’ for safety are deciding where to go for care. “Hospitals should focus on a quality experience for patients, but never at the expense of patient safety,” Habowski said. “Like other top hospitals in the nation, our care teams continually review protocols, incorporate new best practices and implement changes when needed to ensure we are providing the safest possible environment for our patients.” “As the nation copes with a challenging pandemic, our gratitude extends to hospital leadership and healthcare 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 at ACMC. 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. Spring 2019 Fall 2019 Spring 2020 LEAPFROG AWARDS