UTMB recently announced that the Health System has received an “A” grade from the Leapfrog Group for its accomplishments in reducing errors, infections and accidents that have the potential to harm patients.
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade assigns grades to hospitals “based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents and infections,” according to its website.
“UTMB continues to make patient safety a priority as part of our Best Care initiative,” said Donna K. Sollenberger, executive vice president and chief executive officer, UTMB Health System. “Receiving an ‘A’ grade from Leapfrog reinforces the results we have achieved through our efforts.”
Leapfrog is a nonprofit organization founded in 2000 with the goal of providing information that helps the public make better decisions about their health care.
UTMB’s success in achieving an “A” for excellence in safety and quality is the latest kudo for the university. In September, UTMB was honored to receive the 2017 Vizient Bernard A. Birnbaum, MD, Quality Leadership Award. UTMB was one of 12 academic health centers in the U.S. to earn the recognition and the only one in Texas to receive a five-star rating.
“Alone, each of these recognitions is a tremendous accomplishment,” Sollenberger said. “Together, they signify the progress that we are achieving to provide the best care to every patient, every time. The recognitions are the result of our faculty physicians, house staff, nurses, other care providers and those in support functions working together to meet the highest standards of patient safety.”
According to Dr. Gulshan Sharma, UTMB’s vice president, and chief medical and clinical innovation officer, “Receiving an ‘A’ score confirms that our efforts to continually provide high-quality patient care throughout our health care system are paying off for our patients.”
The Best Care initiative, implemented in 2016 at UTMB, resulted in significant improvements in quantitative measures of quality and safety, leading to UTMB receiving the top grade from Leapfrog and the Vizient award.