Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth (BID-Plymouth) has been recognized for its commitment to patient safety with an “A” grade in The Leapfrog Group’s Fall 2015 Hospital Safety Score, which rates how well hospitals protect patients from preventable medical errors, injuries and infections.

An “A” grade is one of the most significant honors a hospital can achieve and one of the most important indicators of patient safety. The Hospital Safety Score is the gold standard 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 designed to give consumers information they can use to ensure the highest level of safety during a hospital visit.

“The BID-Plymouth medical community--including physicians, nurses, administrators, and all employees--have prioritized the ‘team approach’ to patient safety,” says John Connolly, MD, Vice President of Medical Management and Chief of Anesthesiology, BID-Plymouth. “Our patients and their families need and deserve access to transparent, data-driven information about hospital safety in order to make informed decisions about their healthcare.”

In addition to BID-Plymouth, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and its member hospitals Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Needham and Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Milton all received an “A” in the Fall 2015 Hospital Safety Score as well.

“Patient-centered, evidence-based, safely delivered care is our number one priority, and we are honored to receive this national recognition of our leadership in this area,” Judy VanTilburg, RN, Senior Director, Quality and Patient Safety, BID-Plymouth.

“Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth’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 BID-Plymouth, and all other A hospitals, to preserve and renew their 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 that reflects a hospital’s overall capacity to keep patients safe from preventable harm. More than 2,500 general hospitals in the United States were assigned scores in October 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 a hospital’s past safety performance alongside its current grade, allowing them to determine which local hospitals have the best track record in patient safety and which have demonstrated consistent improvement.

To see BID-Plymouth’s full score and to access consumer-friendly tips for patients and loved ones visiting the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetyscore.org. 

About Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth
Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth is a not-for-profit organization serving 12 towns in Plymouth and Barnstable Counties. BID-Plymouth is part of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center family of hospitals. Established in 1901 as Jordan Hospital, BID-Plymouth is a full-service, 155-bed acute care community hospital accredited by The Joint Commission, the College of American Pathologists, the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer, and the American College of Radiology. www.bidplymouth.org

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.