Valley Health’s acute care hospitals again earn “A” grades for patient safety

Valley Health’s two acute care hospitals – Winchester Medical Center (WMC) and Warren Memorial Hospital (WMH) — have again earned “A” Hospital Safety Grades from The Leapfrog Group, an independent, nonprofit national watchdog organization, recognizing their achievements in protecting patients from harm in the hospital setting.

Twice a year, the Leapfrog Group assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” grade to nearly 3,000 general acute care hospitals across the country based on over 30 evidence-based patient safety performance measures reflecting errors, injuries, accidents and infections, as well as systems in place to prevent harm.

Nationwide, only 29% of the hospitals earned a Fall 2022 “A” Hospital Safety Grade. In Virginia,  37 hospitals received an “A” this fall.

This is the sixth consecutive “A” for WMC, which is the highest graded facility in the Northern Shenandoah Valley/Eastern Panhandle region.

“Earning six consecutive ‘A’ grades from Leapfrog is a great source of pride for us,” said Tonya Smith, president, Winchester Medical Center, and senior vice president of acute care for Valley Health.  “We know that our safety grade doesn’t just happen by chance.  It is earned through our amazing healthcare team and their dedication to high quality and safety in all that they do in caring for our community. I admire their commitment to continuous improvement and embracing new processes and technology to support that work.”

Warren Memorial Hospital Administrator Jennifer Coello said receiving the hospital’s repeat “A” grade further affirms the WMH staff’s focus on patient safety. “We are entrusted to improve the health of those who come to us for care. Patient safety is top of mind for our entire team, every day, on every shift, throughout the hospital. They are the real rock stars who make this happen.”

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospital prevention of medical errors and harms to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring. The latest Hospital Safety grades show significant variation in patient safety performance across U.S. hospitals, which underscores the importance of access to information that allows patients to select the safest hospital for their care.

To see the full grade details for WMC and WMH and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org.