Salem Hospital Earns 'A' Grade In National Health Care Safety Ratings

SALEM, MA — Salem Hospital was one of 21 across Massachusetts to earn an "A" grade for patient safety, according to the healthcare nonprofit The Leapfrog Group in its national grading released this week.

The grades are based on more than 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries, and infections, as well as systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent, and free to the public.

"I have to commend our entire team of physicians, and clinical and support staff for working so hard to create a culture of safety at Salem Hospital," Salem Hospital President and CEO Roxanne Ruppel said. "They care so deeply about our patients and their families, and I am grateful that their extraordinary commitment is reflected with this honor."

In Massachusetts, 21 hospitals received an A, 18 received a B, 17 received a C and one received a D grade. No hospitals in the state received an F.

(Also on Patch: Massachusetts Hospital Safety Grades Rate Patient Safety: LeapFrog)

"This new update of Hospital Safety Grades shows that, at the national level, we saw deterioration in patient safety with the pandemic," said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. "But this hospital received an 'A' despite those challenges. I congratulate all the leaders, staff, volunteers and clinicians who together made that possible."

The full Leapfrog grade details for hospitals are available here.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)