Kaiser Permanente San Leandro Recognized for Patient Safety

The Leapfrog Group gave Kaiser Permanente’s San Leandro Medical Center a top score of "A" in its annual safety report, which examined and graded more than 2,600 hospitals throughout the United States.

"Patient safety is our top priority and at the core of everything we do. We’re proud to be nationally recognized for our commitment to our patients by the independent Leapfrog Group," said Michelle Gaskill-Hames, senior vice president and area manager for Kaiser Permanente in Southern Alameda County.

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

"Providing high-quality care means putting our patients’ safety first. As we approach our five-year anniversary of providing the highest quality care in San Leandro, it’s rewarding that our teams have been recognized for this prestigious honor," said San Leandro Medical Center Physician-in-Chief Kapil Dhingra, MD.

14 Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Northern California received a top score of "A" in Leapfrog’s annual safety report. Nationally, 28 of Kaiser Permanente’s 39 hospitals, or 74 percent, received an "A" grade, compared to approximately 30 percent of all hospitals graded in the U.S.

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 Score, considered the gold standard for rating patient safety in the U.S., is an analysis based on 30 variables, including rates of infections, medication errors and hospital acquired conditions. 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.