Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota Again Named a "Leapfrog Top Hospital" for Quality and Efficiency

MINNEAPOLIS, Dec. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota has again been recognized by the Leapfrog Group for being among the top pediatric hospitals in the country for quality and efficiency.  Children's Minneapolis and St. Paul hospitals were two of only ten pediatric hospitals in the country to be named to this year's list. This is the third year in a row Children's has been recognized by the Leapfrog Group.  Once again, Children's was the only pediatric hospital in the five-state-region to receive a Leapfrog award.

"This award is a testament to the commitment our employees make every day to provide the best care to our patients and their families," said Alan L. Goldbloom, M.D., president and CEO of Children's of Minnesota.  "As we work to reform how health care is delivered in this country, quality and efficiency need to guide us forward.  We are especially proud of The Leapfrog Award because it recognizes our efforts to use resources wisely while delivering on the promise we make to families."

Children's has been a leader in the use of LEAN practices to increase efficiency both in how spaces are designed, and how employees work within those spaces.  Recent renovations to both the Minneapolis and St. Paul hospitals have enhanced this work, providing increased privacy for families, decreased wait times, lower supply costs, and high customer satisfaction scores.  Other tools, such as a Daily Engagement System that aligns employees around teamwork and goals, have helped Children's operate as a more cohesive unit around each patient.

"The Leapfrog Group is proud to be one of the only national sources of information that families can turn to when they are faced with the tough decision of which hospital is best for their child," said Leah Binder, CEO, The Leapfrog Group.  "Today, we are honored to recognize Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota – St. Paul and Minneapolis -- for the fifth time since 2006 as Leapfrog Top Hospitals. These two hospitals have out-performed other hospitals across the country and we congratulate them on their continued excellence and commitment to transparency."

The Leapfrog Awards are based on a national survey that measures hospitals' performance in crucial areas of patient safety and quality.  The results are posted at www.leapfroggroup.org. 

The Leapfrog Group is a coalition of public and private purchasers of employee health coverage founded a decade ago to work for improvements in health care safety, quality and affordability.  The annual survey is the only voluntary effort of its kind. 

The survey focuses on four critical areas of patient safety:

• The use of computer physician order entry (CPOE) to prevent medication errors
• Standards for doing high-risk procedures such as heart surgery
• Protocols and policies to reduce medical errors as recommended by the National Quality Forum
• Adequate nurse and physician staffing

Hospitals are also measured on their progress in preventing infections and other hospital-acquired conditions and adopting policies on the handling of serious medical errors.

About Children's:
Serving as Minnesota's children's hospital since 1924, Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota is one of the largest pediatric health care organization in the United States, with 340 staffed beds at its two hospitals in St. Paul and Minneapolis. An independent, not-for-profit health care system, Children's of Minnesota provides care through more than 12,000 inpatient visits and more than 200,000 emergency room and other outpatient visits every year. Children's is the only Minnesota hospital system to provide comprehensive care exclusively to children.

SOURCE Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota