Garrett Regional Medical Center Nationally Recognized with an ‘A’ in the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade

Garrett Regional Medical Center Nationally Recognized with an ‘A’ in the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade

Oakland, MD – Garrett Regional Medical Center (GRMC) has again been awarded an ‘A’ by the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Gradea national distinction recognizing Garrett Regional Medical Center’s achievements in protecting patients from harm and providing safe health care. This marks the second consecutive A that the regional medical center has received from The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization committed to health care quality and safety. Leapfrog assigns an ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, ‘D’ or ‘F’ to all general hospitals throughout the United States based on the hospital’s performance in preventing medical errors, injuries, accidents, infections and other harms to patients.

“We are extremely grateful to hospital leadership and health care workers who have remained steadfast in prioritizing patient safety as our nation battles COVID-19,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “This ‘A’ is a testament to the care and commitment of those who work for Garrett Regional Medical Center. With the current pandemic exposing existing flaws within the U.S. health care system, we appreciate GRMC putting patient safety first. Lives depend on it.”

Developed under the guidance of a National Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses up to 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.

“This recognition of excellence in hospital safety stems from the hard work and dedication of our incredible staff,” noted Mark Boucot, GRMC’s President and CEO. “I am honored and proud to be part of a team that makes excellent patient care the focal point of everything we do. We have established certain standards and quality measures that have become a way of life at GRMC. It shows in the recent distinctions we have been awarded and in our exceptional patient care statistics.”

The A grade from Leapfrog marks the third top level achievement in quality care awarded Garrett Regional Medical Center in recent months. GRMC was given a coveted 5-star rating by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and was named a Top 100 Rural & Community Hospital by the Chartis Group last spring. The Chartis Group rates acute care rural hospitals throughout the United States on a variety of patient-related data points.

“The staff at GRMC, in every department, is very much involved in helping us cope with the current health crisis. Each day they demonstrate their courage and dedication by coming to work and caring for those in our community,” Boucot continued. “It is an inspiration and we are so grateful for their commitment to treat every patient like a member of their own family.”

Garrett Regional Medical Center is among the top-rated hospitals in Maryland. GRMC is the top-rated hospital in the state for reducing hospital-acquired conditions, and has had the lowest readmission rate in the state for the past four years. GRMC’s surgical site infection rate of 0% is far below the national average of 1.57%. In addition, it is ranked in the top 50 hospitals in the United States for its low readmission rates for both COPD patients and for patients diagnosed with sepsis.

The Leapfrog Group was founded in 2000 and is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for improved quality and safety in American health care. 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. Leapfrog assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety and helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents and infections.

Garrett Regional Medical Center is an award winning, progressive, Joint Commission accredited acute care facility with 55 inpatient beds in Oakland, Maryland. The hospital serves a population of 46,000 within Garrett County and surrounding communities in Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Originally established in 1950, the hospital has continuously evolved to advance the health and wellness needs of the region. Through its clinical affiliation with WVU Medicine, GRMC offers comprehensive health care services unique to a rural location. GRMC is one of the county’s largest employers with more than 450 team members, who are each dedicated to our mission of striving to treat every patient like family.  Learn more at https://www.grmc-wvumedicine.org/