UNC Lenoir Health Care Continues to Put Focus on Patient Safety and Overall Experience, following Updated Release of the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade and Customer Service Rating.
KINSTON, NORTH CAROLINA, April 30, 2020 – The Leapfrog Group, a Washington D.C-based organization aiming to improve health care quality and safety for consumers and purchasers, today released new Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades, which assign A, B, C, D and F letter grades to hospitals nationwide. UNC Lenoir Health Care received an A.
Bob Enders, president and CEO of UNC Lenoir Health Care stated. “Patient safety has always and will always be a top priority for us. Our hospital is a trusted part of this community. We will continue to strive for greater excellence in patient safety and will work diligently to maintain this “A” rating. Most importantly, we pledge to honor the trust of our patients by being transparent about our progress and working toward the highest possible standard of safety.”
“Our goal is to inform patients about local hospitals with the best safety measures in place and the strongest records,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “Every hospital can earn an ‘A’ grade, and we’re proud of the hospitals that are committed to making an effort to protect patients from harm.”
Developed under the guidance of an Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign A, B, C, D and F grades to approximately 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.
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 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.
UNC Lenoir also received a 4-star Customer Service Rating after receiving its latest survey reviews. Hospitals continuously collect and submit consumer assessments of their providers and hospital systems to evaluate the patients’ experiences. Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) is the official name of the data collection tool. Patients of UNC Lenoir Health Care are surveyed on the services received during hospital stays. This survey of the Patients’ Experience includes communication with nurses and doctors, responsiveness of hospital staff, communication about medicines, hospital environment, discharge information, and the patient’s willingness to recommend the hospital. The results of the surveys are submitted to CMS and compared to state and national averages of participating hospitals. Hospitals receive star ratings on 10 measures plus a summary star rating of all the measures. Star ratings are from 1 to 5 stars with 5 stars being the highest rating. UNC Lenoir Health Care has a summary star rating of 4 for the Survey of Patients’ Experience.
Star ratings make it easier for consumers to identify excellence in healthcare quality.
