(Nov. 8, 2018) Rush Oak Park Hospital was again rated the highest possible score for patient safety—an A grade—in the latest round of grades given out by the Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit patient safety watchdog organization. The two other Rush System hospitals were also rated high again. Rush Copley Medical Center earned its 14th straight A grade, while Rush University Medical Center followed close behind, receiving a B grade after 13 consecutive A grades.
Leapfrog announced the latest of its twice-yearly safety grades today, awarding A grades to 855 hospitals out of the more than 2,600 in the United States that it evaluated for their commitment to reducing errors, infections, and accidents that can harm patients.
The organization used 28 measures of publicly available hospital data to assign scores of A, B, C, D or F. The score represents each hospital’s overall performance in keeping patients safe from preventable medical errors, accidents, injuries and infections while they are in the hospital.
The A grade for Rush Oak Park Hospital was its fifth consecutive and seventh overall from the Leapfrog Group.
“Patient safety is always a priority at Rush Oak Park Hospital,” said Bruce Elegant, FACHE, president and CEO of Rush Oak Park Hospital. “Every member of the hospital’s team gives their all every day to ensure that our patients are cared for in the safest environment possible. It’s a process that we continue to improve on every year to achieve even higher levels of quality and safety.”
The Leapfrog Group compiles the Hospital Safety Score under the guidance of the nation’s leading experts on patient safety in order to provide the public with information that people can use to protect themselves and their families. A full analysis of the data and methodology used is available on the Hospital Safety Score website.
“Once again, Leapfrog’s grades show that a commitment to providing care safely is embedded throughout the Rush System,” said Dr. Omar Lateef, chief medical officer of Rush University Medical Center and the Rush System. “It’s extraordinary that Rush Copley Medical Center is among the very small number of hospitals to receive straight A’s ever since Leapfrog began giving grades, and Rush Oak Park Hospital continuing its strong performance with A grades is a remarkable achievement as well.
“Although Rush University Medical Center didn’t receive an A from Leapfrog for the first time in seven years, our patient safety scores improved in another recent, data-based hospital rating by Vizient. This improvement was a key factor in Vizient ranking Rush University Medical Center second among 99 leading academic medical centers in its latest quality survey.”
To see Rush’s scores as they compare nationally and locally, and to find safety tips for patients and their loved ones, visit the Hospital Safety Score website.
‘A’ grades are latest in steady stream of honors for Rush hospitals
The Leapfrog grades are the latest in a consistent stream of honors for Rush System hospitals that are unique among U.S. academic health systems, including the following recognitions.
- In October, Rush University Medical Center was ranked second in the nation among 99 leading academic medical centers in the latest annual quality and accountability study conducted by Vizient Inc.
- In August, U.S. News & World Report’s annual “Best Hospitals” issue ranked Rush University Medical Center among the best hospitals in the country in seven specialty areas. The orthopedics program was ranked fourth in the country, making it the highest-ranked orthopedics program in Illinois for the second year in a row. Both Rush Copley Medical Center and Rush Oak Park Hospital received the Leapfrog Group’s Top Hospitals designation (which is different from Leapfrog’s safety grade) in December.
- Rush University Medical Center and Rush Oak Park Hospital each have received four stars from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Hospital Compare overall rating. Both have been rated four stars in each quarter since July, when CMS began issuing the overall rating.
- Rush University Medical Center received its fourth consecutive Magnet designation, the highest honor in nursing, in January 2016, and Rush Oak Park Hospital received Magnet status in March of that year.
- In March, the Human Rights Campaign — a civil rights organization that advocates for equality for people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and/or queer/questioning — named Rush University Medical Center a Leader in LGBT Health Equality for the tenth consecutive year. The HRC also named Rush Oak Park Hospital a leader for the fifth consecutive year.
- Rush University Medical Center and Rush Oak Park Hospital both have received the Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award, which recognizes hospitals that provide an overall outstanding patient experience. Healthgrades evaluates patient experience performance by applying a scoring methodology to 10 patient experience measures, using data collected from the 32-question survey of the hospital’s own patients. Hospitals in the top 15 percent with the highest overall patient experience scores are recognized as Outstanding Patient Experience Award recipients.
