For the second-consecutive evaluation period, JPS Health Network has achieved a B safety grade from not-for-profit healthcare watchdog The Leapfrog Group.
“We worked hard to create positive change in our culture at JPS,” health network President and C.E.O. Robert Earley said. “Now, we are exerting similar energy to improve patient safety and quality. Our Leapfrog score is an indication that this network is committed to providing the best quality and care to our patients.”
JPS received the top score possible in three of five categories considered this fall:
Infections: JPS ranked at the top of the charts in preventing MRSA infections, other blood infections and urinary tract infections.
Problems with Surgery: JPS successfully avoided human errors that result in foreign objects being left in patients’ bodies, receiving the top score possible in this category, 0.0.
Practices to Prevent Errors: JPS also received the top score possible in this category, 100, compared to the average score of 69.8. The report noted that prescriptions are made through a computerized system that monitors orders for any irregularities such as incorrect dosage for a particular patient. JPS physicians and other staff communicate clearly with patients about the medicines prescribed to make sure they are used properly.
Safety Problems: JPS doctors successfully avoid allowing dangerous air bubbles to enter patients’ bloodstreams when removing a catheter or other tube. Hospital leaders track and reduce risks to patients to reduce the number of errors.
Nurses and Hospital Staff: Again receiving the top score possible in the category, 120, JPS was found to have effective leadership in place to prevent medical errors, plenty of qualified nurses on staff, and specially trained doctors on duty to care for Intensive care Unit patients.
Earley has credited health network team members with relentlessly working together to make JPS the best place to go for care as the reason behind the improvement so far – and said that sort of spirit is key to JPS reaching its ultimate goal of receiving an A.
Founded in 2000, the Leapfrog Group is a non-profit organization that collects and reports hospital safety data. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade assigns a letter grade similar to a school report card based on the institution’s patient safety record including its efforts to eliminate errors, injuries, accidents and infections with a goal of improving the quality of healthcare available across the United States. About 2,500 hospitals are ranked twice each year nationwide.