Four DMC Hospitals Earn Top Grades from the 2013 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Scores - Again!

Excellence in key performance areas and grade of "A" for hospital safety pushed these hospitals to the top    

DETROIT, May 9, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Four Detroit Medical Center (DMC) Hospitals - DMC Detroit Receiving Hospital, DMC Harper University & Hutzel Women's Hospitals, DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital and DMC Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital – have received "A" rankings from the Leapfrog Group's Hospital Safety Scores for 2013, making DMC Hospitals among the safest in the country.  Hospital Safety Scores are calculated under the guidance of an eight-member Leapfrog Blue Ribbon expert panel of patient safety experts who used publicly available hospital safety data.  U.S. hospitals were evaluated on preventable patient injuries, medication errors and infections, and each was assigned a letter grade of A, B, C, D, or F reflecting on how safe hospitals are for patients.

These scores empower patients to make informed choices about where they and their family will seek medical care and are meant to significantly reduce the 180,000 annual deaths attributed to hospital errors by publicly recognizing safety and exposing harm.

"The DMC hospitals have a long tradition of innovation and quality care. However, over the past several years, there has been even more emphasis and energy placed on quality and safety - it is the foundation of everything we do in healthcare. Every person at the DMC is committed to the highest quality and safest hospitals, including the governing boards, leadership, medical staff, and front line employees," said DMC CEO Joseph Mullany.

The DMC has focused on several key initiatives to help drive quality improvement. The first is the electronic medical record. DMC hospitals are among the most advanced in the country for their health information technology. With Computerized Physician Order Entry and bar code scanning, medication errors have been reduced significantly. Quality and safety dashboards are included in daily workflow through the EMR, which allows staff to focus on quality in "real time." Electronic records also allow for care to move away from memory based practice with improved standardization, and quick access to data. Other initiatives have included a successful focus on reducing hospital acquired infections, a system-wide approach to intensive care, and more quality and safety training.

"Being recognized by the Leapfrog group is a tremendous honor. The "leaps" to improve healthcare quality, including intensivists in intensive care units, a commitment to national best safe practices, computerized order entry, and improved efficiency, are priorities at all DMC hospitals," states Dr. Suzanne White, DMC Chief Medical Officer.  "Recognition that our hospitals are among the safest in the nation, demonstrates proof of our commitment."

This is the fifth year in a row DMC has earned top honors from the Leapfrog Group.

About Detroit Medical Center www.dmc.org 
The Detroit Medical Center includes DMC Children's Hospital of Michigan, DMC Detroit Receiving Hospital, DMC Harper University Hospital, DMC Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital, DMC Hutzel Women's Hospital, DMC Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan, DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital, DMC Surgery Hospital, and DMC Cardiovascular Institute. The Detroit Medical Center is a leading regional healthcare system with a mission of excellence in clinical care, research and medical education.

SOURCE Detroit Medical Center