The Leapfrog Group honors Northwestern Memorial and Lake Forest with 'A' Hospital Safety Score

Memorial Hospital and Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital have been selected as 2012 Top Hospitals by The Leapfrog Group, an organization that provides the only national, public comparison of hospitals across safety, quality and efficiency dimensions.  Northwestern Memorial and Northwestern Lake Forest are honored among an elite group of only 92 hospitals selected out of nearly 1,200 surveyed.

"It is an honor to have both Northwestern Memorial and Northwestern Lake Forest recognized as top performing hospitals," said Dean M. Harrison, president and CEO of Northwestern Memorial HealthCare.  "Our longstanding, shared focus on creating the safest environment for our patients is essential to our Patients First mission."

To be designated a Top Hospital, organizations must meet or exceed Leapfrog criteria in five areas of patient quality and safety.  Areas evaluated include the use of computer physician order entry (CPOE) to prevent medication errors; standards for performing high-risk procedures such as heart surgery; adequate nurse and physician staffing; protocols and policies to reduce medical errors; and receipt of an "A" Hospital Safety Score.  Hospitals are also measured on their growth in preventing infections and other hospital-acquired conditions.

Northwestern Memorial and Northwestern Lake Forest were among the eight hospitals ranked in Illinois.

Additionally, both Northwestern Memorial and Northwestern Lake Forest received a Hospital Safety Score of "A" for overall performance in keeping patients safe from preventable harm and medical errors.  The Hospital Safety Score is an initiative that aims to save lives and bring attention to the issue of patient safety by highlighting the nation's best hospitals while warning against the worst. Northwestern Memorial and Northwestern Lake Forest are among only 790 hospitals nationally and 51 facilities in Illinois to receive an "A" grade.