Andalusia Health Earns ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group
June 13, 2024
The biannual grade, awarded for Spring 2024, is Leapfrog’s highest national recognition for patient safety.
ANDALUSIA, Alabama (June 13, 2024) – Andalusia Health received an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit group that sets standards for excellence in patient safety and care. Andalusia Health is one of only six hospitals in the state of Alabama to earn an “A” grade during Leapfrog’s Spring 2024 assessments, which were announced on May 1.
Leapfrog assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” grade to hospitals across the country based on over 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as the systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm. Only 29% of the approximately 3,000 hospitals reviewed nationwide earn Leapfrog’s “A” grade. Andalusia improved from its ‘B’ grade earned in Leapfrog’s Fall 2023 review.
“We are thrilled to earn Leapfrog’s highest grade ‒ it’s a deserving testament to our well-trained, hard-working and incredibly caring team,” said Vickie Demers, CEO of Andalusia Health. “This top designation gives patients even more confidence that when they come to Andalusia, they will receive high-quality, compassionate care in a safe environment.”
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program exclusively based on hospital prevention of medical errors, infections and injuries that kill more than 500 patients a day nationally. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually in the fall and spring.
“Everyone who works at Andalusia Health should be proud of this ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “It takes complete dedication at every level, and an ironclad commitment to putting patients first. I thank Andalusia Health, its leadership, clinicians, staff, and volunteers for caring so deeply for its patients and their safety.”
“Patients come to hospitals to be helped, not hurt,” said Demers. “The ‘Zero Harm’ premise at the core of patient safety sounds simple enough, but the myriad of treatments, technologies, medications and other variables demand a concerted effort from team members to keep patients safe while getting them well. The ‘A’ grade from Leapfrog is one of our industry’s most esteemed recognitions that signifies our efforts are elite-level and our hospital excels at patient safety.”
The Leapfrog honor continues a string of positive developments at Andalusia, which celebrated the opening of its Andalusia Women’s and Family Health clinic in November and last week announced a partnership with USA Health to create a fellowship program at the hospital to help train physicians in obstetrics and expand obstetrics services in south-central Alabama.
To see the safety grades of Andalusia Health and other local hospitals, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org and search by city/state or zip code. For more information about The Leapfrog Group and for access to patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram and via The Leapfrog Group newsletter.
About Andalusia Health
A part of the ScionHealth healthcare network, Andalusia Health is a Joint Commission-accredited, 88-bed acute care facility that has served the heart of South Alabama since 1966. The hospital offers a wide range of diagnostic, therapeutic, emergency, and surgical services. Comprehensive Cancer Care is available on Andalusia Health's Campus with services provided by 21st Century Oncology offering Radiation Oncology and Sacred Heart Oncology offering Chemotherapy and infusion services.
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 for patient safety. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey and Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC 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. For more, follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up for our newsletter.