Vassar Brothers Medical Center Earns 'A' for Patient Safety

From Vassar Brothers Medical Center:

Vassar Brothers Medical Center, the flagship hospital for Health Quest, was one of 844 hospitals to receive an “A” in the fall Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades, ranking among the safest hospitals in the United States.

“We are transforming healthcare in the Hudson Valley and that starts with a laser focus on patient safety and quality of care,” said Ann McMackin, president of Vassar Brothers Medical Center. “This excellent grade is a testament to the hard work done every day by our staff, from physicians and nurses to the people who clean the rooms and maintain the facility. Everyone is dedicated to the safety and well-being of the thousands of patient every year who say ‘Take me to Vassar.’ ”

Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades assigns A, B, C, D and F letter grades to hospitals nationwide to provide a complete picture of patient safety. The grades are issued by The Leapfrog Group, a national patient safety watchdog.

“Protecting patients from harm is the most important charge for any hospital,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We recognize and appreciate ‘A’ hospitals’ vigilance and continued dedication to keeping their patients safe.”

Developed under the guidance of an expert panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades use 30 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign A, B, C, D and F grades to more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals twice per year. It is calculated by top patient safety experts, peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public.

To see Vassar Brothers Medical Center’s full grade, and to access consumer-friendly patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit the Vassar Brothers Medical Center website or follow The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade on Twitter or Facebook. Consumers can also download the free Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade mobile app for Apple and Android devices.

Vassar Brothers Medical Center has served the Hudson Valley since 1887. It houses the first and only cardiothoracic surgery center in the mid-Hudson Valley, a state-of-the-art birthing center, pioneering centers for advanced surgery and wound care, the area’s only Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and the Division of NeuroInterventional Surgery for advanced treatment of aneurysms and acute stroke.

Vassar Brothers Medical Center broke ground in September on its historic, half-billion-dollar construction project: a 696,000-square-foot patient pavilion that will give patients and families of the region the healing environment they deserve. The pavilion has a strong focus on patient safety and is expected to open for care in 2019.

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 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.

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