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Virginia Hospitals and Health Systems Earn National Recognition for Exceptional Patient Safety Performance

April 13, 2017

New Rankings from National Safety Rating Organizations, the Leapfrog Group and Healthgrades, show Virginia Hospitals Demonstrating Important Progress in the Ongoing Work of Enhancing Health Care Quality and Safety for Patients

RICHMOND, VA – This month, two nationally renowned health care quality organizations recognized dozens of Virginia hospitals for exceptional patient safety performance. An announcement this week revealed that 35 Virginia hospitals earned “A” grades in the Spring 2017 Hospital Safety Grade scores from the Leapfrog Group, a national health care patient safety ranking organization. And Healthgrades recently named 21 Virginia hospitals as 2017 “Patient Safety Excellence Award” recipients.

“These new rankings are a testament to the concerted efforts occurring at Virginia hospitals to improve health care quality and safety for patients,” said Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association (VHHA) President and CEO Sean T. Connaughton. “Through a variety of initiatives including the Virginia Patient Safety Organization, the annual Virginia Patient Safety Summit, and so many other health care safety programs, Virginia’s hospitals and health systems continue to demonstrate their commitment to enhancing health care quality through treatment that produces positive patient outcomes.”

The Leapfrog and Healthgrades recognition of hospitals and health systems across the Commonwealth of Virginia reflects health care providers’ commitment to excellence in patient safety. VHHA through the Center for Healthcare Excellence is focused on a range of quality and safety improvement initiatives designed to reduce and avoid harm incidents as part of the broader goal of making Virginia the healthiest state in the nation by 2020.

Under the guidance of the VHHA Board of Directors, the Center for Healthcare Excellence was launched in January 2015 to improve the safety and quality of health care in Virginia by assisting VHHA members in achieving top-tier performance in quality, safety, and service. That work is happening across a number of initiatives including efforts such as the Hospital Improvement Innovation Networks (HIIN) program VHHA and its members are participating in to reduce preventable hospital-acquired conditions and readmissions. The HIIN work builds on momentum from the predecessor Hospital Engagement Networks (HEN) initiative, during the second phase of which 1,851 patient harm incidents were prevented at 35 participating hospitals (equivalent to more than $16.5 million in health care costs savings) across the Commonwealth.

Other health care safety initiatives being pursued by Virginia hospitals and health systems include work to reduce early elective deliveries to improve infant health, efforts to prevent sepsis by working with Virginia nursing homes, and an initiative to improve patient and family hospital experience, among other projects. In addition to pursuing organizational improvement, Virginia’s hospitals have also demonstrated a commitment to transparency by making Quality and Patient Safety Scorecards publicly available online through VHHA. The scorecards measure quality and patient safety performance in Virginia’s hospitals on metrics ranging from health care-associated infections, patient safety, hospital readmission rates, mortality data, patient satisfaction, and the efficiency of Medicare spending per beneficiary. The latest batch of data reflected in the scorecards show statewide improvement across categories.

The Leapfrog program has been assigning letter grades to general acute care hospitals in the U.S. since 2012. Across the country, hospitals have made remarkable strides in improving patient safety. Overall, 35 of 70 Virginia hospitals evaluated by Leapfrog earned “A” grades in the 2017 rankings, placing the Commonwealth ninth among states in the nation. The “A” rated Virginia hospitals include:

  • Bon Secours Memorial Regional Medical Center
  • Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center
  • Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital
  • Carilion New River Valley Medical Center
  • Centra Southside Community Hospital
  • Clinch Valley Medical Center
  • Henrico Doctors’ Hospital
  • Inova Fair Oaks Hospital
  • Inova Loudoun Hospital
  • Inova Mount Vernon Hospital
  • John Randolph Medical Center
  • LewisGale Hospital Alleghany
  • Mary Washington Hospital
  • Novant Health UVA Health System Culpeper Medical Center
  • Novant Health UVA Health System Prince William Medical Center
  • Parham Doctors’ Hospital
  • Retreat Doctors’ Hospital
  • Riverside Doctors’ Hospital Williamsburg
  • Riverside Tappahannock Hospital
  • Riverside Walter Reed Hospital
  • Sentara CarePlex Hospital
  • Sentara Leigh Hospital
  • Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center
  • Sentara Obici Hospital
  • Sentara Princess Anne Hospital
  • Sentara RMH Medical Center
  • Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital
  • Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center
  • Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center
  • Stafford Hospital
  • Twin County Regional Healthcare
  • Virginia Hospital Center
  • Warren Memorial Hospital
  • Winchester Medical Center
  • Wythe County Community Hospital

Healthgrades is a leading online resource for information about physicians and hospitals, offering consumers the ability to research and connect with health care providers, and providing information about patient experience, satisfaction, and hospital quality. Virginia hospitals recently recognized by Healthgrades include:

  • Bon Secours Memorial Regional Medical Center
  • Carilion New River Valley Medical Center
  • Chesapeake Regional Medical Center
  • Henrico Doctors’ Hospital
  • Inova Fair Oaks Hospital
  • Inova Loudoun Hospital
  • Inova Mount Vernon Hospital
  • John Randolph Medical Center
  • Johnston Memorial Hospital
  • LewisGale Hospital Alleghany
  • Memorial Hospital of Martinsville and Henry County
  • Parham Doctors’ Hospital
  • Reston Hospital Center
  • Retreat Doctors’ Hospital
  • Riverside Regional Medical Center
  • Riverside Shore Memorial HospitalSentara CarePlex Hospital
  • Sentara RMH Medical Center
  • Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center
  • Twin County Regional Healthcare
  • VCU Community Memorial Hospital

Nine Virginia hospitals also earned 2017 Healthgrades “Outstanding Patient Experience Awards.” Those hospitals are: Carilion Giles Community Hospital, Carilion New River Valley Medical Center, Inova Fair Oaks Hospital, Sentara CarePlex Hospital, Sentara Leigh Hospital, Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital, Sentara Princess Anne Hospital, Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center, and Virginia Hospital Center.

About VHHA: The Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association is an alliance of 107 hospitals and 30 health delivery systems that develops and advocates for sound health care policy in the Commonwealth. Its mission is to achieve excellence in both health care and health. Its vision is through the power of collaboration to be recognized as a driving force behind making Virginia the healthiest state in the nation. Connect with VHHA through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and ISupportVirginiaHospitals.com.

Download a PDF version of the release here.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Julian Walker
Vice President of Communications
(804) 297-3193 office
(804) 304-7402 mobile
jtwalker@vhha.com