Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo and Mission Hospital in Laguna Beach were honored Nov. 28 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 ScoreSM, the A, B, C, D or F scores assigned to U.S. hospitals based on preventable medical errors, injuries accidents, and infections. The Hospital Safety Score was compiled under the guidance of the nation’s leading experts on patient safety and is designed to give the public information they can use to protect themselves and their families.
“Mission Hospital is proud to be recognized as an ‘A-rated’ hospital by Leapfrog,” said Mission Hospital President and CEO Kenneth D. McFarland. “Mission Hospital has long been committed to patient safety and clinical quality to ensure our patients receive the very best care. This latest affirmation provides tangible evidence of our diligent focus on safety and quality and clinical excellence.”
“Hospitals earning an ‘A’ have demonstrated their commitment to their patients and community,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “I congratulate Mission Hospital for its safety excellence, and look forward to the day when all hospitals will match this standard.”
To see the scores of Mission Hospital as they compare nationally and locally, visit the Hospital Safety Score website at www.hospitalsafetyscore.org, which also provides information on how the public can protect themselves and loved ones during a hospital stay. Local hospital scores can also be checked on the free mobile app, available at the same web address.
Calculated under the guidance of The Leapfrog Group’s nine-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), Lucian Leape (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).
Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo and Laguna Beach also recently achieved Magnet status for nursing excellence and is the region's only designated trauma center. Mission is a designated neuro-stroke and cardiac receiving center, offering 24-hour emergency care and specialized services for imaging, maternity, and behavioral health. Mission Hospital is the only individual hospital to twice earn an Ernest A. Codman Award by the Joint Commission.
