Two Aroostook hospitals ranked among nation’s best rural facilities

CARIBOU, Maine — A national hospital safety group has ranked Caribou’s hospital among the top rural medical facilities in the country.Cary Medical Center in Caribou made The Leapfrog Group’s list of 24 top rated rural hospitals of 2015. Another county health care center, Houlton Regional Hospital, also made the list.
The employer-led hospital watchdog organization assigns letter grades and ranks how well hospitals meet criteria for preventing medical errors, for physician staffing, and for high-risk surgeries and procedures.
Officials with Cary Medical Center held a press conference last Wednesday to tout their achievement and to highlight receiving an “A” rating for patient safety from Leapfrog for the fourth year in a row.
Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, said in a press release issued last Wednesday that “Cary Medical Center is one of only 133 hospitals in the country to have achieved straight A’s from the Hospital Safety Score since 2012.”
According to the data provided by the Hospital Safety Score website, Cary Medical has perfect scores when it comes to not leaving dangerous objects in a patient’s body or gas bubbles in the blood, patient falls, urinary tract infections during ICU stays, doctors ordering medications via computer, effective leadership, safety training, tracking and reducing patient risks, having enough qualified nurses, accurately communicating medication information, handwashing, taking steps to prevent ventilator problems, and using antibiotics before surgery.
“This has been a remarkable year for Cary Medical Center in terms of recognition for quality, patient care, patient experience and patient safety,” said Gregg Collins, chairman of the hospital’s board of directors. “I want to congratulate the staff, whose tireless efforts and dedication to patient care has made this award possible.”
Regen Gallagher, chief medical officer at Cary said, “Our ability to do so well starts at the very top of the organization with our CEO and board of directors, who prioritize and support the policies, initiatives, equipment and culture that make our hospital safe.”
A video of a statement from U.S. Sen. Susan Collins also was played during the hospital’s Dec. 2 press conference.
“This prestigious award demonstrates Cary’s commitment to passionate and effective health care,” said Gregg Collins. “More than 90 years ago, Cary Medical Center was built as a community hospital with an emphasis on community. It was built on the foundation laid by doctor Jefferson Cary, a physician as devoted to the city of Caribou as he was to the practice of medicine.”
Cary also announced receiving an award for “Exceeding Patient Expectations” for the ninth year in a row from Avatar, a survey research firm.