Straight A's – Again

DETROIT – For the second time in a row, Henry Ford Health System’s five acute-care hospitals each earned an A grade for patient safety performance in The Leapfrog Group’s safety grades.

The achievement comes six months after the hospitals earned A grades last November. The Leapfrog Group awards safety grades in the spring and fall of every year.

For a health system’s hospitals to earn the top safety grade back to back is an incredible feat.

Hospitals that received an A grade are:

Henry Ford Hospital
Henry Ford Allegiance Health
Henry Ford Macomb Hospital
Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital
Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital

“Last year’s accomplishment by our five hospitals was special. And now to follow that up with all A’s again is extraordinary,” says Wright Lassiter III, Henry Ford’s president and CEO. “I can’t say enough about our exceptional hospital leaders and the amazing work of our team members in caring for our patients.”

Twice a year, The Leapfrog Group assigns grades to more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals using a scoring algorithm to determine each hospital’s score as an A, B, C, D or F letter grade. The grade is a composite score comprising 28 different nationally reported patient safety measures that indicate how well hospitals protect patients from preventable errors, injuries and infections. Grades are awarded in the spring and fall.

“It’s truly rewarding to see how our culture of safety is making a difference,” says Adnan Munkarah, M.D., Henry Ford’s executive vice president and chief clinical officer. “Our hospitals and team members are committed to creating a safe and healing environment through outstanding teamwork, communication and doing the right thing.”

Erica Mobley, director of operations at The Leapfrog Group, says a health system that achieves all A’s at its hospitals “shows true dedication and leadership across the entire organization.”

“Sustaining this performance over two cycles of grading is even more admirable,” she says. “We commend each and every Henry Ford employee who works day in and day out to ensure the safety of the patients in their care.”

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MEDIA CONTACT: David Olejarz / David.Olejarz@hfhs.org / 313.874.4094

About Henry Ford Health System
Henry Ford Health System is a six-hospital system headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. It is one of the nation’s leading comprehensive, integrated health systems, recognized for clinical excellence and innovation. Henry Ford provides both health insurance and health care delivery, including acute, specialty, primary and preventive care services backed by excellence in research and education. Henry Ford Health System is led by President & CEO Wright Lassiter III. Visit HenryFord.com to learn more.

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.