April 14, 2017
The Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit organization committed to driving quality, safety, and transparency in the U.S. health care system, today released new Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades, which assign A, B, C, D and F letter grades to hospitals nationwide. Southwest Medical Center was one of 823 hospitals to receive an “A” for its commitment to reducing errors, infections, and accidents that can harm patients.
“We care about every patient coming into our hospital and care centers,” Southwest Medical Center President and CEO, Bill Ermann, said. “Because we care, our team has devoted themselves to creating the safest environment possible for our patients to receive excellent care. This ‘A’ rating is a team accomplishment and is reflective of our commitment to providing the highest quality of care to patients and our entire community.”
“Hospitals that earn top marks nationally in the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, ‘have achieved the highest safety standards in the country,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “That takes commitment from every member of the hospital staff, who all deserve thanks and congratulations when their hospitals achieve an ‘A’ Safety Grade.”
Developed under the guidance of an Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 30 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign A, B, C, D and F grades to more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals twice per year. It is calculated by top patient safety experts, peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public.
About The Leapfrog Group
Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the quality and safety of American health care. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey collects and transparently reports hospital performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog’s other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections.
About Southwest Medical Center
Located in Liberal, Kansas, Southwest Medical Center operates as a not-for-profit acute care hospital. Southwest Medical Center is a business entity governed by a Board of Trustees appointed by the Board of County Commissioners of Seward County, Kansas, and an administration selected by the Board of Trustees. No taxes are levied by the Board of County Commissioners of Seward County, Kansas, for operating, maintaining, equipping and improving the hospital. Since 1964, Southwest Medical Center has become a regional medical center serving patients from a five-state region of Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico. As the hospital evolves in a changing industry one of our continuing goals is to provide “Quality Healthcare Close to Home.” This means recruiting and retaining highly skilled physicians, investing in state-of-the-art medical technology and providing compassionate patient service.