UH Case Medical Center designated as 'Top Hospital' and leader in quality patient care

University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio is among 65 hospitals nationwide to be designated as a "Top Hospital" and leader in quality patient care by The Leapfrog Group. The annual "Top Hospital" designation, which is the most competitive national hospital quality award in the country, recognizes hospitals that deliver the highest quality care by preventing medical errors, reducing mortality for high-risk procedures like heart bypass surgery and reducing hospital readmissions for patients being treated for conditions like pneumonia and heart attack.

"We are proud of this extraordinary achievement, which reflects University Hospitals Case Medical Center's ongoing commitment to quality and safety for our patients," says William Annable, MD, University Hospitals Chief Quality Officer. "This is an exceptional recognition when you consider that nearly 1,200 hospitals across the country participated in the Survey. Of that total, just one Northeast Ohio hospital was selected to be in this year's Leapfrog class of Top Hospitals."

The Leapfrog Group is a consortium of corporations and public agencies that uses its members' collective leverage to initiate breakthrough improvements in the safety, quality and affordability of health care for Americans. Now in its 11th year, the group encourages hospitals to report on nationally standardized measures for quality and safety outcomes so that health care consumers can make educated and informed decisions. The Leapfrog Group Survey focuses on three critical areas of hospital care: (1) how patients fare, (2) resources used to care for patients, and (3) management practices that promote safety and quality.

"Employers and other large healthcare benefits purchasers look to The Leapfrog Group to identify high-performing hospitals," said Keith Reissaus, Leapfrog Board Chair and vice president of Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana, Inc. "Leapfrog's members and supporters believe that the challenges for American healthcare go far beyond just keeping costs down. It's about making certain that patients get the right care at the right time; that value is an equal part of the equation."