CARIBOU — Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit organization made up of some 2000 large employers and other purchasers of health care, informed Cary Medical Center earlier this year that the hospital had earned an ‘A’ patient safety score.
Just recently the Leapfrog Group announced that Cary was one of only 98 hospitals out of more than 2,500 in the nation to earn the ‘A’ grade since the inception of the grading process.
Kris Doody, RN, MSB and chief executive officer at Cary said the the outstanding work of every member of the Cary team made the consistency of the hospital’s performance possible.
“This kind of consistency in performance just doesn’t happen in a vacuum,” said Doody. “We work on patient safety every day, every shift, and it is part of our ‘Pillars of Success’. All of our staff, from housekeepers to registered nurses, physicians, support staff, everyone has to have a commitment to be at their very best. Our leadership, including our board of directors, are so proud of our team and we have been celebrating our success throughout the year.”
Claude Boma, M.D. who chairs the hospital’s Quality Improvement Committee and serves as a full-time hospitalist at Cary, said that the relationships that exist between nurses and doctors as well as administration play a key role in achieving the highest scores in patient safety.
“As a hospitalist, I work with nursing staff throughout the day as we care for our patients,” said Dr. Boma, who is an internal medicine specialist. “Our high level of communication and the respect and confidence we have for each other really sets the tone for creating an environment of safety that encourages dialogue and collaborative practice.”
The Leapfrog Group has been providing the Patient Safety Score since 2012. Lea Binder, President and CEO for the Leapfrog Group, said, “Patient safety requires constant vigilance, and we encourage Cary Medical Center and all other A hospitals to continue demonstrating unrelenting commitment to patients by consistently working to provide a safe environment for care.”
To develop the patient safety scores The Leapfrog Group uses 30 measures of publicly available hospital safety data developed under the guidance of Leapfrog’s Blue Ribbon Expert Panel. This year, for the first time, the Hospital Safety Score included five measures of patient-reported experience with the hospital. Shawn Anderson, chief operating officer at Cary said that confidence and excellent communication that drives patient safety also works to enhance patient experience.
“When you have confidence that the clinical care being provided to your patient is at a very high level, you can begin to focus on service enhancements,” said Anderson, who directs the hospital’s patient survey process. “Things like communications with patients and families, understanding individual patient preferences and needs, going the extra mile to enhance patient comfort and convenience, all these things impact the overall patient experience.”
The hospital is now completing major renovations on their Acute Care Unit (ACU). The focus of the renovations were to improve comfort, environment, and safety for patients and staff.
Leapfrog Group provides and publishes patient safety scores twice each year.
Top patient safety experts calculate the scores, which are peer reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. To learn more and access consumer-friendly tips for patients and loved ones visiting the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetyscore.org.
