UChicago Medicine earns 12th consecutive ‘A’ rating in patient safety from Leapfrog

12th consecutive ‘A’ rating in patient safety from Leapfrog award

The University of Chicago Medicine earned its 12th consecutive “A” in patient safety from The Leapfrog Group, a prominent hospital-watchdog organization.

The grade, announced in October 2017, makes the Hyde Park-based academic health system one of only 59 hospitals in the county to earn a dozen sequential top marks since Leapfrog began producing its twice-a-year survey in June 2012. The nonprofit group’s latest survey reviewed data from more than 2,600 hospitals across the country.

“From our front-line clinicians to our behind-the-scenes staff, every UChicago Medicine employee is focused on keeping our patients safe,” said Kenneth S. Polonsky, MD, executive vice president of medical affairs and dean of the Biological Sciences Division and Pritzker School of Medicine. “This commitment forms the bedrock of our institution’s mission of providing world-class, high-quality care to our community and patients.”

Leapfrog assesses hospitals using 27 publicly available safety metrics, which are selected and reviewed by a panel of experts. The data range from infection rates, surgical complications and medical errors to safety problems and staffing. The group then assigns letter grades of “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” and “F” to hospitals, based on the peer-reviewed findings. The results are free to the public and published on Leapfrog’s website.

“We applaud all hospitals that earn an ‘A’ for safety, a significant achievement,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “UChicago Medicine takes that achievement one step further by earning an ‘A’ year after year.”