MemorialCare Health System Hospitals Honored as Among Safest in U.S.

ORANGE COUNTY and LONG BEACH, Calif., Nov. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- MemorialCare Health System hospitals, including Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center and Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in Laguna Hills and San Clemente, were honored with an "A" Hospital Safety Score(SM) by The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and large purchasers of health benefits.

Leapfrog Group's nine-member Blue Ribbon Expert Panel used 26 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to produce a Hospital Safety Score representing a hospital's overall capacity to keep patients safe from infections, injuries, and medical and medication errors. Hospitals across the U.S. were assigned a score of A, B, C, D or F based on these measures.

Acknowledged national leader in patient safety and quality, MemorialCare is recognized as an innovator in health care delivery. "Our 13,000 physicians, nurses, clinical and support staff are dedicated to implementing evidence-based, best practice medicine at all our medical centers to ensure the communities we serve receive comprehensive, high quality care," says Barry Arbuckle, Ph.D., MemorialCare Health System president & CEO. "This newest national recognition from The Leapfrog Group affirms that our tremendous efforts and results in quality, safety and clinical outcomes are widely recognized. We are honored to be included among the nation's safest hospitals."

"Hospitals like this that earn an A have demonstrated their commitment to their patients and their community," said Leah Binder, the Leapfrog Group president & CEO. "I congratulate MemorialCare Health System for its safety excellence, and look forward to the day when all hospitals will match this standard."

This recognition is among an impressive number of recent global, national and statewide honors awarded to MemorialCare Health System. MemorialCare was recently honored as one of only 27 businesses worldwide with the Gallup Great Workplace Award. Engaged employees, according to Gallup, are more productive, safer, more customer-centric and more successful.

MemorialCare Health System has gained widespread recognition for its unique approach to health care. Acknowledged as some of California's best hospitals and named "high performing" by U.S. News & World Report, MemorialCare is continually named one of the U.S. Top 100 Integrated Health Care Systems. MemorialCare Medical Group and Greater Newport Physicians—medical groups associated with MemorialCare Medical Foundation—were honored by California Association for Physician Groups with the 2012 Elite Status rating of four stars, the highest rating possible for medical groups in California. The program measures how physician organizations improve patient quality, safety, affordability, access, communications, continuity of care, health information technology, public accountability, cultural sensitivities and responsiveness.

About MemorialCare Health System
MemorialCare Health System, a not-for profit, integrated delivery system, includes six top hospitals – Long Beach Memorial, Miller Children's Hospital Long Beach, Community Hospital Long Beach, Orange Coast Memorial, and Saddleback Memorial in Laguna Hills and San Clemente; two medical groups – MemorialCare Medical Group, Memorial Prompt Care; an Independent Practice Association (IPA) – Greater Newport Physicians; MemorialCare HealthExpress retail clinics; and numerous outpatient health centers throughout the Southland. For more information, visit memorialcare.org.

SOURCE MemorialCare Health System