Kaiser Permanente hospitals in SM County earn top safety scores

– Kaiser Permanente’s two San Mateo County Medical Centers, in Redwood City and South San Francisco, have been awarded an “A” grade, the highest possible, for patient safety from The Leapfrog Group.

“Our physicians and staff use advanced technology while delivering exceptional care with warmth and compassion for our members,” said William 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.”

The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits, released its Spring 2018 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.

“This is further proof that at Kaiser Permanente we put our patients and their care first,” said Dr. John Skerry, Physician-in-Chief, Kaiser Permanente South San Francisco. “We are pleased to be recognized for the high-quality health care provided by our physicians, nurses and staff.”

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, eight Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Northern California received “A” grades from Leapfrog: Modesto, Redwood City, Roseville, San Francisco, San Rafael, Santa Rosa, South San Francisco 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.