St. Petersburg, Florida, April 30, 2020 – Northside Hospital was awarded an ‘A’ in the spring 2020 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, a national distinction recognizing Northside Hospital’s achievements providing safer health care. The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization committed to health care quality and safety. The Safety Grade is a letter grade assigned to all general hospitals across the country and updated every six months, assessing how well the hospital prevents medical errors and other harms to patients.
“Northside Hospital’s A safety grade is a testament to the world class standard of care that our physicians, nurses and staff provide our patients,” said Valerie Powell-Stafford, CEO, Northside Hospital. “This is a direct reflection of their commitment to provide high-quality care in the safest environment possible.”
“As the Nation copes with a challenging pandemic, our gratitude extends to hospital leadership and health care workers everywhere for their tremendous dedication,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We hope this ‘A’ helps to thank the people who work and volunteer for Northside Hospital. They are role models in putting patients first, and their service has been extraordinary in our country’s time of need.”
Developed under the guidance of a national Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses up to 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 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.
Northside Hospital was awarded an ‘A’ grade today, when Leapfrog updated grades for spring 2020. To see Northside Hospital’s full grade details and access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit hospitalsafetygrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter and Facebook.
We will accommodate any requests for interviews on our hospital safety practices as elective surgeries and procedures are reopening Monday, May 4th. Please contact Carrie Johnson at 727-521-5265 or Carrie.Johnson@HCAhealthcare.com. Thank you.
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 and new Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC 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 Northside Hospital
Serving the community since 1976, Northside Hospital is a 288-bed hospital, offering a full range of services including comprehensive and interventional stroke care, preventative and corrective cardiac care, full-service orthopedic and spine treatment, a 24-hour emergency department, and general surgery. As one of the first hospitals in the area to achieve Atrial Fibrillation Certification (SCPC), our technologically advanced hospital allows our highly skilled physicians, nursing and caregivers to serve our growing community. Northside Hospital was the first nationally recognized Comprehensive Stroke Center in Pinellas County and has been nationally-recognized as a Top Performer in Key Quality Measures for Heart Attack, Heart Failure, Pneumonia and Surgical Care by The Joint Commission. We have been nationally recognized for quality and safety by earning an “A” rating from the Leapfrog Group and our employees voted us a Tampa Bay Times Top Workplace in 2020. With campus-based specialized services, such as the Tampa Bay Heart Institute and the Neuroscience Institute for Interventional Neuroradiology and neurologic care, Northside Hospital continues to enhance and expand its services to better serve the St. Petersburg community.