South San Francisco, CA November 8, 2019 Submitted by Matt Skrja, Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente’s two San Mateo County Medical Centers, Kaiser Permanente South San Francisco and Kaiser Permanente Redwood City, have been awarded an “A” grade, the highest possible, for patient safety from The Leapfrog Group.
“This is further proof that at Kaiser Permanente we put our patients and their care first,” said Physician-in-Chief, Dr. John Skerry, Kaiser Permanente South San Francisco. “We are pleased to be recognized for the high-quality health care provided by our physicians, nurses and staff.”
The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits, released its Fall 2019 Hospital Safety Grades after examining publicly available data on patient injuries, medical and medication errors and infections at U.S. hospitals, which were then assigned letter grades for their safety records.
“Our physicians and staff use advanced technology while delivering exceptional care with warmth and compassion for our members,” said Grace Firtch, MD. Physician-in-Chief, Kaiser Permanente Redwood City. “Receiving high marks from The Leapfrog Group is a testament to Kaiser Permanente Redwood City’s commitment to quality health care and patient safety.”
Only 750 of 2,500 hospitals surveyed in the U.S. received an “A” rating in the biannual report which began in 2012.
In all, 23 Kaiser Permanente hospitals in California received “A” grades from Leapfrog. The 10 Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Northern California include South San Francisco, Redwood City, Fresno, Manteca, Modesto, Roseville, Sacramento, Santa Clara, South Sacramento and Vallejo.
Developed under the guidance of Leapfrog’s Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 27 national performance measures to assign a single letter grade representing a hospital’s overall performance in keeping patients safe from preventable harm and medical errors. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade methodology has been peer reviewed and published in the Journal of Patient Safety.
Visit www.hospitalsafetygrade.org for additional information about the award.
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve more than 12 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: kp.org/share.