Sierra Vista Earn Top Grade in Patient Safety from Leapfrog

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA (November 1, 2017) – Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center in San Luis Obispo and Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton both received an “A” rating in The Leapfrog Group’s Fall 2017 Safety Score, demonstrating the hospitals’ commitments to delivering safe, high-quality patient care to the Central Coast community. Sierra Vista and Twin Cities are two of only 59 hospitals in the United States to achieve consecutive A’s every reporting period since the ratings first came out in 2012. Leapfrog releases the grades in April and October each year.

    The Leapfrog Group Hospital Safety Score is a rating system designed to give consumers information they can use to make healthcare decisions for themselves or a loved one. The Leapfrog Group assigns A, B, C, D and F grades to more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals based on their ability to prevent errors, injuries, accidents and infections.

   “This rating recognizes our continuous commitment to placing safety at the forefront of our patients’ care,” said Mark Lisa, Chief Executive Officer, Twin Cities Community Hospital. “Every day, we focus on driving improvements in care delivery and patient satisfaction. Our clinical leaders regularly review our hospital’s patient care processes and compare our data to nationally recognized benchmarks and best practices. Nothing is more important to us than offering our patients trusted care in a safe environment.”

    Measures are national in scope and reported at the hospital level. Leapfrog collects and compiles data from voluntary hospital surveys and mandated reporting to national oversight agencies. Primary sources include data from CMS Hospital Compare and the Leapfrog Hospital Survey, as well as secondary sources such as the American Hospital Association’s annual survey.  Hospitals are scored on 30 measures. These measures rely on data such as the number of people who develop infections in the hospital, how many are readmitted within 30 days of discharge and whether staff reliably wash their hands and follow safety protocols; among others.