For the fourth consecutive year, Garrett Regional Medical Center has received an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group. This national distinction celebrates GRMC’s achievements in protecting hospital patients from preventable errors, injuries, accidents, and infections.
“This recognition of excellence in hospital safety is a direct reflection of our dedicated providers, clinicians, and staff and the quality of care they provide to our patients as we strive to treat every patient like a member of our own family,” said Mark Boucot, President and CEO of GRMC and Potomac Valley Hospital. “I am very honored and proud to be part of a team that makes excellent patient care the focal point of everything we do.”
The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization with a 10-year history of assigning an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” grade to general hospitals throughout the United States, based on a hospital’s ability to prevent medical errors and harm to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent, and free to the public. Hospital Safety Grade results are based on more than 30 national performance measures and are updated each fall and spring.
“I applaud the hospital leadership and workforce for their strong commitment to safety and transparency,” said Leah Binder, president, and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “An ‘A’ Safety Grade is a sign that hospitals are continuously evaluating their performance so that they can best protect patients. Your hospital team should be extremely proud of their dedication and achievement.”
Nationally recognized as a Top 20 Rural and Community Hospital by the National Rural Health Association, GRMC’s excellent patient outcomes play a key role in the recognition the hospital achieves. GRMC had no inpatient central line-associated bloodstream infections in 2021, marking eight years since a patient experienced such an infection in the facility.
The hospital also ended the past year with no inpatient catheter-associated urinary tract infections, the fifth consecutive year without this type of infection. GRMC has the lowest Case Mix Adjustment Readmission Rate in the state at 5.45% currently for 2022 and the lowest Hospital Acquired Condition score in the state of Maryland.
Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps for patient safety. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey and new Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions.
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, 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.
To see Garrett Regional Medical Center’s full grade details and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit https://www.hospitalsafetygrade.org/.
For more information on Garrett Regional Medical Center, visit https://www.grmc-wvumedicine.org.
