Virginia Mason a 2013 Top Hospital by The Leapfrog Group

Virginia Mason has been named a 2013 Top Hospital by The Leapfrog Group, making this the eighth consecutive year it has earned this national recognition.

Also, Virginia Mason is the only hospital to receive this special designation annually since the recognition program was launched in 2006.

"The Leapfrog Group's standards are high and its methodology identifies those hospitals that are truly committed to providing the highest quality, safest care for patients," said Virginia Mason Chairman and CEO Gary S. Kaplan, MD. "The Top Hospital recognition reflects our team members' dedication to achieving the highest standards in serving our patients."

Leapfrog is an employer-based coalition advocating for improved transparency, quality and safety in U.S. hospitals.

To be named a Top Hospital, Virginia Mason had to:
•Meet Leapfrog's standard for computer physician order entry.
•Meet Leapfrog's intensive care unit staffing standard.
•Meet Leapfrog's standards for complex procedures, such as heart valve surgery, resection of the pancreas and resection of the esophagus.
•Achieve a value score of 79 or better. Value is a measure that combines scores for quality and resource use, with quality weighted more heavily.
•Receive an A grade in Leapfrog's Hospital Safety Score program. In October, Leapfrog gave Virginia Mason an "A" for patient safety and designated it as one of the safest hospitals in the nation. Grades are based on preventable medical errors, injuries, accidents and infections.

For 2013, Virginia Mason is one of only 55 hospitals in the nation - and one of only two in Washington - to meet Leapfrog's criteria for highest performing urban hospitals.

The Top Hospitals list announced today was closely culled from a record number of 1,324 hospitals across the nation voluntarily participating in the Leapfrog Hospital Survey. "The field of hospitals considered for this year's elite distinction was more competitive than ever, proving that more hospitals across the country are making quality their top priority," said Leapfrog President and CEO Leah Binder.

While several agencies and organizations collect and publicize hospital quality data, the Leapfrog Hospital Survey sets the highest bar for comparing hospitals' performance on the national standards of safety, quality and efficiency that are most relevant to consumers and purchasers of care.

SOURCE Virginia Mason Medical Center