CNBNews

 An announcement released nationally today by independent hospital watchdog The Leapfrog Group, which administers the Hospital Safety Score, shows key shifts among many hospitals on the A, B, C, D and F grades that rate them on safety measures. Considered the gold standard rating for patient safety, the Hospital Safety Score is compiled under the guidance of the nation’s leading patient safety experts. The first and only hospital safety rating to be peer-reviewed in the Journal of Patient Safety, it is free to the public and designed to give consumers information they can use to protect themselves and their families when facing a hospital stay.

 “Kennedy’s ‘A’ rating in this elite national ratings program recognizes our strong commitment to patient safety,” said Dr. David V. Condoluci, Kennedy’s Chief Patient Safety & Quality Officer. “It has been, and will remain, our top priority as a healthcare institution.”

Kennedy President & CEO Joseph W. Devine, FACHE, added that “Kennedy is extremely proud that all three of our hospitals have earned a grade ‘A’ in the Fall 2015 Hospital Safety Score,” noting Kennedy also received an ‘A’ grade in the Spring 2015 ratings.

Kennedy’s  hospitals were among only 32 to receive an ‘A’ grade out of  67 New Jersey hospitals evaluated in the Fall Hospital Safety Score.  New Jersey’s hospitals ranked fifth nationally.

“Kennedy’s ‘A’ grade is a powerful reminder of its commitment to put patient safety above all else, and we are pleased to recognize the persistent efforts of your clinicians and staff to protect your patients,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “Our families, neighbors, colleagues and friends deserve a hospital that will pull out all the stops to keep them safe.”

Developed under the guidance of Leapfrog’s Blue Ribbon Expert Panel, the Hospital Safety Score uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to produce a single A, B, C, D, or F score, representing a hospital’s overall capacity to keep patients safe from preventable harm. More than 2,500 U.S. general hospitals were assigned scores in October 2015, with 773 receiving an A grade.

The Hospital Safety Score is fully transparent, offering a full analysis of the data and methodology used in determining grades on the website (www.hospitalsafetyscore.org). Patients can also review a hospital’s past safety performance, alongside its current grade, on the Hospital Safety Score site, allowing them to determine which local hospitals have the best track record in patient safety and which have demonstrated consistent improvement.

About Kennedy

Kennedy is a health services delivery system serving the communities of southern New Jersey. Kennedy meets the community’s healthcare needs at its hospital campuses in Cherry Hill, Stratford and Washington Township, NJ, and at outpatient facilities throughout Camden and Gloucester counties. Kennedy University Hospital is the Principal teaching hospital of Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine (RowanSOM). Kennedy is also a member of the Penn Cancer Network and the Jefferson Neurosciences Network (JNN).

About The Leapfrog Group

Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the quality and safety of American health care. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey collects and transparently reports hospital performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. The Hospital Safety Score, 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.