Colquitt Regional Celebrates 14th Consecutive “A” Patient Safety Grade

MOULTRIE, Ga. – Colquitt Regional Medical Center received its 14th consecutive “A” grade in the spring 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, a national distinction recognizing the hospital’s achievements protecting patients from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections.

The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization committed to health care quality and safety.

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” grade to all general hospitals across the country and is updated every six months. It is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospitals’ prevention of medical errors and other harms to patients in their care.

“Since 2014, Colquitt Regional has consistently received ‘A’s from The Leapfrog Group,” said Colquitt Regional President and CEO Jim Matney. “This accomplishment speaks volumes of the healthcare professionals in our organization who are dedicated to holding the highest safety standards for their patients.”

Developed under the guidance of a national expert panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses up to 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,700 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.

“An ‘A’ safety grade is an elite designation that your community should be proud of,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “The past year has been extraordinarily difficult for hospitals, but Colquitt Regional shows us it is possible to keep a laser focus on patients and their safety, no matter what it takes.”

According to The Leapfrog Group, out of over 2,700 hospitals surveyed, Colquitt Regional was among the 33 percent that earned an ‘A’ grade, followed by 24 percent that received a ‘B’, 35 percent that earned a ‘C,’ seven percent that received a ‘D’, and less than one percent that earned an ‘F.’ Colquitt Regional was also one of 24 hospitals in the state of Georgia to receive an ‘A’ grade.

Among the 27 measures used to evaluate each hospital, Colquitt Regional earned a perfect score in the following categories: dangerous object left in the patient’s body, air or gas bubble in the blood, infection in the blood, surgical site infection after colon surgery, doctors ordering medication through a computer, effective leadership to prevent errors, staff working together to prevent errors, enough qualified nurses, and handwashing.

Colquitt Regional also scored 91 percent or higher in the categories of communication about discharge (91 percent), communication with nurses (96 percent), communication with doctors (97 percent), and responsiveness of hospital staff (97 percent).

 

“Every staff member at Colquitt Regional plays an essential role in maintaining a safe environment for our patients,” said Hospital Authority Chairman Maureen A. Yearta, Ed.D. “Receiving our 14th ‘A’ reinforces to our patients and community that even as we adjust to a new normal, our staff is just as committed to ensuring patient safety remains the top priority.”

Colquitt Regional was awarded its ‘A’ grade on April 29, when Leapfrog announced grades for the spring 2021 update. To see Colquitt Regional’s full grade details and to view the scores of other hospitals in the region, visit hospitalsafetygrade.org.

 

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