Brookwood Medical Center Earned A Grade by Hospital Safety Score

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Kristina Wilburn
Marketing and PR Manager
Brookwood Medical Center
(205) 877-1160

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Brookwood Medical Center Earned “A” Grade by Hospital Safety Score
Rating Underscores Commitment to Quality Patient Care

Birmingham, Ala., October 29, 2015 – An announcement released yesterday by the independent hospital watchdog The Leapfrog Group, shows key shifts among many hospitals on the A, B, C, D and F grades rating them on errors, injuries, accidents and infections. Brookwood Medical Center is one of the two hospitals in Birmingham to earn an A in this elite national ratings program, recognizing its strong commitment to patient safety. The Hospital Safety Score is the gold standard rating for patient safety, compiled under the guidance of the nation’s leading patient safety experts and administered byThe Leapfrog Group, a national, independent nonprofit. The first and only hospital safety rating to be peer-reviewed in the Journal of Patient Safety, the Hospital Safety Score is free to the public and designed to give consumers information they can use to protect themselves and their families when facing a hospital stay.

“We are pleased that our hospital has been recognized by The Leapfrog Group for the high quality care that we provide,” said Chuck Stark, president and CEO of Brookwood Medical Center. “The physicians who practice at Brookwood are truly gifted and we are honored to assist them in providing quality patient care. In fact, this designation by Leapfrog and our recent No.2 hospital ranking for the entire State of Alabama by HealthGrove are evidence of the high standard of care the physicians and staff at Brookwood deliver every day.”

“An A grade is a powerful reminder of the hospital’s commitment to putting patient safety above all else, and we are pleased to recognize the persistent efforts of your clinicians and staff to protect your patients,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “Our families, neighbors, colleagues and friends deserve a hospital that will pull out all the stops to keep them safe, and we urge all hospitals to preserve and renew your commitment to safety year after year.” 

Developed under the guidance of Leapfrog’s Blue Ribbon Expert Panel, the Hospital Safety Score uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to produce a single A, B, C, D, or F score, representing a hospital’s overall capacity to keep patients safe from preventable harm. More than 2,500 U.S. general hospitals were assigned scores in October 2015, with 773 hospitals receiving an A grade. The Hospital Safety Score is fully transparent, offering a full analysis of the data and methodology used in determining grades on the website. Patients can also review their hospital’s past safety performance alongside its current grade on the Hospital Safety Score site, allowing them to determine which local hospitals have the best track record in patient safety and which have demonstrated consistent improvement.

To see a full list of scores and to access consumer-friendly tips for patients and loved ones visiting the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetyscore.org.

About Brookwood Medical Center
Founded in 1973, Brookwood Medical Center is a 607-bed full service hospital located in Birmingham, Ala. Accredited by The Joint Commission, the hospital provides award-winning care in the areas of women’s services, cardiovascular medicine and surgery, cancer, orthopedics, neurology and neurosurgery, mental health, emergency services and more.  For more information, please visit www.bwmc.com.

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. Hospital Safety Score, 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.