The Leapfrog Group has named Morton Hospital in Taunton, Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer and Carney Hospital in Dorchester to its annual list of Top Hospitals. An elite distinction awarded to hospitals nationwide for demonstrating excellence in hospital safety and quality through the Leapfrog Hospital Survey, the Leapfrog Top Hospital award is given to less than seven percent of all eligible hospitals. The awards, which are given annually, were announced at Leapfrog’s Annual Meeting and Top Hospital Awards on December 2, in Washington, D.C.
“We are extraordinarily proud that these three Steward hospitals have achieved the status of Top Hospital,” said Justine Carr, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Steward. “Patient safety is an ongoing priorty within Steward Health Care.”
“Leapfrog’s Top Hospital award is widely acknowledged as one of the most prestigious distinctions any hospital can achieve in the United States. It recognizes institutions for their excellence in quality of care and patient safety, as well as their commitment to transparency. By achieving Top Hospital status, Morton Hospital, Carney Hospital and Nashoba Valley Medical Center have proven they’re a premier institution and deserves to be recognized for its dedication to the families and patients of their communities,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group.
These three Steward hospitals were 3 of 94 Top Hospitals recognized nationally. The list includes:
- 24 Top Rural Hospitals
- 61 Top Urban Hospitals
- Nine Top Children’s Hospitals
Among the hospitals reaching this achievement are:
- Academic medical centers
- Teaching hospitals
- Community hospitals in rural, suburban and urban settings
The selection is based on the results of The Leapfrog Group’s annual hospital survey, which measures hospitals’ performance on patient safety and quality, focusing on three critical areas of hospital care: how patients fare, resource use and management structures established to prevent errors. Performance across many areas of hospital care is considered in establishing the qualifications for the award, including rates for high-risk procedures and a hospital’s ability to prevent medication errors.
The Top Hospital award is not given to a set number of hospitals, but rather, to all urban, rural and children's hospitals that meet the high standards defined in each year's Top Hospitals Methodology.
To see the full list of institutions honored as a 2014 Top Hospital, please visit www.leapfroggroup.org/tophospitals.
About Steward Health Care
Steward Health Care is the largest fully integrated community care organization and community hospital network in New England. Headquartered in Boston, Steward is the third largest employer in MA with more than 17,000 employees serving more than one million patients annually in more than 150 communities. Hospitals in the system include Saint Anne’s Hospital in Fall River, Holy Family Hospital in Methuen, St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Brighton, Norwood Hospital, Carney Hospital in Dorchester, Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer, Merrimack Valley Hospital in Haverhill, Morton Hospital in Taunton, Quincy Medical Center and New England Sinai Hospital in Stoughton. Other Steward Health Care entities include Steward Medical Group and Steward Home Care. Further information is available at www.steward.org.
About The Leapfrog Group
The Leapfrog Group (www.leapfroggroup.org) is a national nonprofit organization using the collective leverage of large purchasers of health care to initiate breakthrough improvements in the safety, quality and affordability of health care for Americans. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey allows purchasers to structure their contracts and purchasing to reward the highest performing hospitals. The Leapfrog Group was founded in November 2000 with support from the Business Roundtable and national funders and is now independently operated with support from its purchaser and other members. The Hospital Safety Score (www.hospitalsafetyscore.org) is an initiative of The Leapfrog Group.