HICKORY, NC – Catawba Valley Medical Center (CVMC) was awarded an
‘A’ from
The Leapfrog Group’s Fall 2020
Hospital Safety Grade. The designation recognizes CVMC’s efforts in protecting patients
from harm and meeting the highest safety standards in the United States.
Over 2,600 hospitals nationally were evaluated by The Leapfrog Group,
and CVMC earned its ninth consecutive ‘A’ grade since Fall 2016.
The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization committed
to health care quality and safety. The Safety Grade assigns an ‘A’,
‘B’, ‘C’, ‘D’ or ‘F’ grade
to all general hospitals across the country and is updated every six months.
It is based on a hospital’s performance in preventing medical errors,
injuries, accidents, infections and other harms to patients in their care.
Eddie Beard, President and CEO of Catawba Valley Health System, said, “Patient
safety is not only the expectation of the people who choose our organization
for healthcare, it is the number one priority for everyone working in
our organization. We’re proud to achieve the highest possible grade
Leapfrog can offer, which is even more meaningful during this pandemic.
We’re gratified that this offers assurance to our community that
we put the greatest effort possible into keeping our patients safe.”
“We are extremely grateful to hospital leadership and health care
workers who have remained steadfast in prioritizing patient safety as
our nation battles COVID-19,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO
of The Leapfrog Group. “This ‘A’ is a testament to the
care and commitment of those who work for Catawba Valley Medical Center.”
Developed under the guidance of a national Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital
Safety Grade uses up to 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety
data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice
per year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed
and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.
The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps
forward in the quality and safety of American healthcare. 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.