HARLINGEN — Harlingen Medical Center and Valley Baptist Medical Center were both recognized with an “A” rating for patient safety in a recently conducted study by The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit health care ratings organization.
The local hospitals were among 832 health care facilities across the country to receive the highest score in protecting patients and meeting strict safety standards. The study involved 2,600 hospitals for the fall 2018 ratings.
The Leapfrog Group is considered a leading organization for evaluating and scoring how hospitals keep patients safe from errors, injuries, accidents and infections.
“This ranking provides an important resource for patients and a benchmark for hospitals to determine how care at one hospital compares to others in a region,” Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, said in a press release. “Hospitals that earn an ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade deserve to be recognized for their efforts in preventing medical harm and errors.”
A Harlingen Medical Center representative stated in a press release the low complication and low infection rates greatly contributed to its “A” rating.
“I am privileged to work with such an outstanding group of physicians and employees who put patient safety first and value quality health care,” said Jan Behm, Director of Performance Improvement/Risk Management at HMC.
Valley Baptist Medical Center was also pleased to receive the top score for both its Brownsville and Harlingen locations.
“It is a tremendous accomplishment to receive two grade ‘A’s’ and a true testament of our team’s dedication to provide our patients the care they deserve in a safe environment,” Manny Vela, CEO for Valley Baptist Health System, stated in a press release. “This achievement takes great collaboration from each team member to ensure every element of care is held to the highest of standards.”
MORE INFO
For more information about the ratings and The Leapfrog Group, visit http://www.hospitalsafetygrade.org.
