Leapfrog names UMHHC a top hospital for safety and quality

The University of Michigan hospitals are among the safest and most effective hospitals in the country, according to a new national ranking from the respected independent health care quality rating organization, The Leapfrog Group. This is the second year in a row, and third year overall, that Leapfrog named the U-M Hospitals and Health Centers a top hospital.

The announcement is being made at Leapfrog's 11th annual meeting today in Washington, D.C.

The U-M Hospitals and Health Centers ranks among 65 institutions named 2011 Leapfrog Top Hospitals, based on a rating system that provides a detailed assessment of a hospital's safety and quality. The top hospitals list includes university and other teaching hospitals, children's hospitals and community hospitals in urban, suburban and rural settings. U-M is one of five Michigan hospitals on the list.

And, U-M is one of only 4 hospitals in the nation ranked by both the Leapfrog Group and U.S. News & World Report, another top health care quality rating organization.

"It is an honor for the University of Michigan to receive this national award for safety and quality," says Doug Strong, chief executive officer of the U-M Hospitals and Health Centers. "The award is a very nice recognition of how we put our patients and families first."

Though long regarded among the nation's best for high-quality care, UMHHC has made patient safety issues a top priority since 2000.

Darrell A. Campbell Jr., M.D., chief medical officer of UMHHC, and Henry King Ransom Professor of Surgery at the U-M Medical School, leads the patient safety program.

"At the University of Michigan, we live quality 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year," Campbell says. "Our goal is to be the safest hospital in the country. An award such as this shows that every day we come closer to our goal."

Some recent successes include the following:

•Reduction in infections at the site of surgical procedures
•Reduced medication errors
•Improved hand hygiene by clinical staff
•Required flu shots for clinical staff
•Improved treatment to prevent blood clots in surgical patients
•Fewer unnecessary radiological tests (such as CTs and MRIs)

Campbell emphasizes that effective lines of communication between patients and their doctors is a crucial part of a patient safety environment.

"Safety is a team effort at the University of Michigan," says Margaret Calarco, Ph.D., R.N., senior associate director of Patient Care and chief, Nursing Services, UMHHC, and adjunct professor of nursing, School of Nursing. "We all work closely together as a health care team in partnership with our patients and families to make the greatest difference in our patient safety efforts."