SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 28, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- An announcement released nationally today by the independent hospital watchdog The Leapfrog Group, shows key shifts among many hospitals on the A, B, C, D and F grades rating them on errors, injuries, accidents, and infections. Good Samaritan Hospital earned an A in this elite national ratings program, recognizing its strong commitment to patient safety. 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, independent nonprofit. The first and only hospital safety rating to be peer-reviewed in the Journal of Patient Safety, the Hospital Safety 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 pleased to be recognized, once again by the Leapfrog Group, for providing the highest quality care to our patients. Patient safety requires a disciplined and experienced team of caring professionals," said Paul Beaupre, CEO of Good Samaritan Hospital. "Our team has shown dedication to quality care for over 50 years and remains committed to our patients' safety."
Good Samaritan Hospital's A grade is a powerful reminder of its commitment to putting patient safety above all else, and we are pleased to recognize the persistent efforts of your clinicians and staff to protect your patients," said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, which administers the Hospital Safety Score. "Our families, neighbors, colleagues and friends deserve a hospital that will pull out all the stops to keep them safe, and we urge Good Samaritan Hospital and all other A hospitals to preserve and renew your commitment to safety year after year."
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 October 2015, with 773 hospitals 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. 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 Good Samaritan Hospital's full score, and to access consumer-friendly tips for patients and loved ones visiting the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetyscore.org or follow The Hospital Safety Score on Twitter or Facebook. Consumers can also download the free Hospital Safety Score mobile app for Apple and Android devices.
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. 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 Good Samaritan Hospital
Good Samaritan Hospital is a 474 bed acute care hospital in the heart of Silicon Valley, with two locations, the main campus in San Jose, California and the Mission Oaks campus in Los Gatos, California. Recognized nationally for quality and safety, it has an 'A' from The Leapfrog Group and has been voted a "Family Favorite" hospital for more than ten years. It is one of only ten hospitals nationwide to be awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer four consecutive times. Good Samaritan is a leader in neurosciences, high-risk obstetrics, advanced cardiology and innovative surgery techniques, and is a Joint Commission-certified Comprehensive Stroke Center and an accredited Chest Pain Center. Good Samaritan has been delivering elite level care with compassion since 1965. For more information visit, www.goodsamsanjose.com.
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