Baton Rouge General Hospital, St. Elizabeth Hospital, and Ocshner Medical Center-Baton Rouge recently received an “A” for patient safety from the Leapfrog Group. Only 15 hospitals in Louisiana and two in East Baton Rouge Parish received an “A” rating in the fall report.
The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit healthcare ratings organization which assigns hospital safety letter grades of "A," "B," "C," "D," and "F" to hospitals, nationwide, based on their performance in preventing medical errors, infections, and other harms.
This is the sixth year in a row for Baton Rouge General to receive an “A” from the Leapfrog Group, more than any other local hospital. This is the third “A” safety grade in a row for St. Elizabeth Hospital.
“A hospital’s ability to keep its patients safe isn’t just a nice-to-have award,” said Dr. Kenny Cole, Chief Clinical Transformation Officer at Baton Rouge General. “It can actually mean the difference between life and death.”
“We are fortunate to be in an organization that allows our team members to challenge practices, and to look for and improve areas of opportunity,” said Susan Waguespack, Director of Patient Support Services for St. Elizabeth Hospital. “There are always efforts that can improve patient outcomes. The culture of St. Elizabeth Hospital encourages transparency, and rewards team members for persistently identifying ways to further advance our processes and create a culture of patient safety .”
“We are enormously proud of this recognition, because it acknowledges our relentless drive to serve patients and their families,” said Eric McMillen, CEO, Ochsner Medical Center – Baton Rouge. “Patient safety is our highest priority, and this announcement demonstrates that we are among the nation’s leaders.”
Analysis shows that even hospitals with "B" ratings could save more than 4,000 lives per year if they operated at "A" ratings, and more than 33,000 lives could be saved if all hospitals performed at an "A"-grade level. In addition, patients who are treated at "C"-rated hospitals have a 35% greater risk of avoidable death than those at an "A"-rated hospital, and those who go to hospitals with "D" and "F" grades have a 50% greater chance of avoidable death.