Kaiser Permanente hospitals receive top scores for patient safety

Kaiser Permanente’s Medical Centers in San Leandro and Fremont have received the top score of "A" by the Leapfrog Group in its annual safety report, which examined and graded more than 2,600 hospitals throughout the United States. Fourteen other Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Northern California also received A grades.

The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits, released its 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 A, B, C, D, or F grades for their safety records.

"At Kaiser Permanente, the safety of our members and patients is our top priority. I’m pleased that our southern Alameda County hospitals were recognized as among the safest in the nation by the Leapfrog Group this year," said Michelle Gaskill-Hames, senior vice president and area manager for Kaiser Permanente in southern Alameda County.

Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Northern California with "A" scores were: Antioch, Fremont, Fresno, Roseville, Redwood City, Sacramento, Santa Clara, San Francisco, San Leandro, San Rafael, Santa Rosa, South Sacramento, South San Francisco, Vacaville, Vallejo, and Walnut Creek. Additionally, Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Manteca, Modesto, Oakland, and San Jose received a "B" score.

"Our physicians, clinicians and staff work hard to ensure the safety and comfort of every Kaiser Permanente member. We are proud to be recognized for our effectiveness by the Leapfrog Group," said Kapil Dhingra, MD, physician-in-chief of Kaiser Permanente’s San Leandro Medical Center.

"Ensuring patient safety in the hospital environment is what we work for every day. Leapfrog is the gold standard for hospital safety ratings, and we’re proud to be ranked among the safest hospitals in California," said Eric Cain, MD, physician-in-chief of Kaiser Permanente’s Fremont Medical Center.

The Leapfrog Group is a coalition of public and private purchasers of employee health coverage founded in 2000 to work for improvements in health care safety, quality and affordability. It is an independent advocacy group working with a broad range of partners, including hospitals and insurers. The Hospital Safety Grade, considered the gold standard for rating patient safety in the U.S., is an analysis based on 28 variables, including rates of infections, medication mix-ups and health care-acquired injuries. It uses data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the American Hospital Association, and its own Leapfrog survey.

To see all hospital scores as they compare nationally and locally, visit www.hospitalsafetyscore.org, the Hospital Safety Score website, which also provides information on how the public can protect themselves and loved ones during a hospital stay.