CaroMont Regional Medical Center was recognized with an “A”
Hospital Safety Score by The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit
run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits. The A
score was awarded in the latest update to the
Hospital Safety Score
SM, the A, B, C, D or F scores assigned to U.S. hospitals based on preventable
medical errors, injuries accidents, and infections.
Quality and safety standards are in place for a reason across every service
and industry with the sole purpose to protect the health and wellbeing
of consumers including healthcare. Because of healthcare’s inherent
purpose which is to save and improve people’s lives, healthcare
agencies are held to even higher standards.
“This is very encouraging and reaffirms our trajectory of a culture
of patient safety,” said Doug Luckett, Interim CEO. Patient safety
is our number one priority everyday and we owe it to our community we
serve to provide just that. We are honored again to receive this recognition
and are encouraged to uphold this status through continuous improvements
every year.”
The Hospital Safety Score was compiled under the guidance of the nation’s
leading experts on patient safety. The first and only hospital safety
rating to be peer-reviewed in the
Journal of Patient Safety (April 2013), Hospital Safety Score is designed to give the public information
they can use to protect themselves and their families.
“Earning an ‘A’ on the Hospital Safety Score demonstrates
that this hospital has exhibited excellence in our national database of
patient safety measures,” said Leah Binder, President and CEO of
The Leapfrog Group. “I’d like to congratulate CaroMont Regional
Medical Center (CRMC) for your achievements and encourage you to continue
to put a priority on the safety of your patients.”
To see CRMC’s scores as they compare nationally and locally, visit
the Hospital Safety Score website at
www.hospitalsafetyscore.org, which provides information on how the public can protect themselves and
loved ones during a hospital stay. Local hospitals’ scores are also
available on the free mobile app, available at
www.hospitalsafetyscore.org.
Calculated under the guidance of The Leapfrog Group’s eight-member
Blue Ribbon Expert Panel, the Hospital Safety Score uses 26 measures of
publicly available hospital safety data to produce a single score representing
a hospital’s overall capacity to keep patients safe from infections,
injuries, and medical and medication errors. The panel includes: John
Birkmeyer (University of Michigan), Ashish Jha (Harvard University), Arnold
Millstein (Stanford University), Peter Pronovost (Johns Hopkins University),
Patrick Romano (University of California, Davis), Sara Singer (Harvard
University), Tim Vogus (Vanderbilt University), and Robert Wachter (University
of California, San Francisco).
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.
About CaroMont
CaroMont is an independent, not-for-profit healthcare system located in
Gaston County, North Carolina. It is the county’s largest employer
employing nearly 4,000 employees and is supported by a medical staff of
more than 300 physicians. Caromont is comprised of eight affiliates including
Gaston Hospice and Caromont Medical Group, 43 primary and specialty practices
and its flagship facility, Caromont Regional Medical Center (CRMC), a
435-bed magnet hospital for nursing excellence.
CaroMont is a viable health care entity that provides the community with
high quality care at a minimal cost and is committed to ensuring that
every man, woman and child in Gaston County is given every opportunity
to live a happier and healthier life. Caromont has been recognized for
its quality and overall performance by the following experts:
- Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals 2012
- Top Performer in the Joint Commission Key Quality Measures for heart attack,
heart failure, pneumonia, and surgical cal in 2010.
- HealthGrades Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence™
for 4 years in a row, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.
- A 2011 Top Performing Hospital for providing high quality, efficient care
as a part of the Premier Healthcare Alliance QUEST program.
CaroMont Health is located at 2525 Court Drive in Gastonia, N.C., and can
be reached at (704) 834-2000. Additional information is available at
www.caromonthealth.org
.