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HCA Healthcare Hospital Safety Grade scores exceed national average

healthcare workers holding signs with an "A" on them.
Doctors Hospital of Sarasota, located in Florida, received its 15th consecutive “A” in the fall 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade.

Some of the nation’s best-performing hospitals are a part of the HCA Healthcare family. Our caregivers strive to provide safe, quality and efficient care to our patients. HCA Healthcare’s collective commitment to a culture of safety was reinforced in the fall 2021 Hospital Safety Grade report. The report, released by nonprofit watchdog organization The Leapfrog Group, revealed that 84% of HCA Healthcare hospitals achieved an “A” or “B” Safety Grade, outperforming the national average of 58%.

healthcare workers posing for picture around a large "A" sign
Medical Center of Trinity received an “A” Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade for fall 2021, recognizing achievements in protecting patients from harm and error in the hospital.

Twice annually, the Leapfrog Group assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on more than 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, injuries, accidents and infections, as well as systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm.

“Patient safety is first and foundational for what we stand for as an organization,” said Karla Miller, chief patient safety officer at HCA Healthcare.

“While the spectrum of healthcare has been very challenging over the past two years, HCA Healthcare’s extraordinary team of physicians, nurses and other critical support staff members have remained committed to serving our communities with safe, high-quality care,” adds Miller. “I am so proud of our leadership and colleagues for keeping our patients at the center of everything we do, especially during these trying times.”

HCA Healthcare hospitals Rose Medical Center in Denver, Colo. and St. David’s Medical Center in Austin, Texas received Leapfrog’s “Straight A” designation for achieving an “A” grade in every update of the twice-annual Hospital Safety Scores, which launched in 2012.

HCA Healthcare has a rich history of engineering patient safety into our care processes, including these milestones:

  • 39 Weeks study: found an increased risk of illness for infants delivered at 37 and 38 weeks, compared to 39 weeks or later and established worldwide practice standards for safe deliveries for mothers and babies.
  • Infection (and drug-resistance) prevention: the REDUCE MRSA study reduced bloodstream infections in ICU patients by 44% and MRSA by 37%; the ABATE Infection Trial drastically reduced bloodstream infections in non-ICU patients with devices by 31%, and reduced infection with antibiotic-resistant bacteria by 40%
  • Sepsis Prediction and Optimization of Therapy (SPOT) program: an algorithm-based alerting system for the early detection of sepsis.
  • NATE (Next-gen Analytics for Treatment and Efficiency) platform: delivers data-rich views of a facility using real-time analytics and machine learning solutions. With an urgent need to treat acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) during the pandemic, HCA Healthcare developed an overlay for NATE called C-ARDS (COVID ARDS) to assist clinicians in applying the appropriate clinical protocol for mechanically ventilated patients.

At our facilities, we believe in contributing to a safer environment for patients and caregivers alike by:

  • Nurturing safety discussions or huddles
  • Providing transparent, timely feedback
  • Encouraging the reporting of errors, adverse events and close calls – events or situations that, only by chance, did not produce patient harm
  • Recognizing or rewarding individuals for reporting
  • Promoting the development of a safe climate for reporting
Alaska Regional Hospital earned the only “A” in the state of Alaska for the fall 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade for providing safe, quality care & protecting patients from harm.

During the pandemic, HCA Healthcare’s strategy, decisions and resource allocations revolved around keeping our patients, colleagues and visitors safe. In alignment with precautions outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local and state health organizations, we implemented several new safety protocols and processes:

  • Universal masking policy for all staff and providers in patient care areas
  • Mobilizing hundreds of screeners in our facilities to manage the new screening and visitor-control processes
  • Designating separate care locations for COVID-19-positive patients and those under investigation
  • Treating non-COVID-19 patients, including those receiving outpatient care or undergoing scheduled procedures, in separate areas

Thank you to our colleagues for leveraging your skill, compassion and dedication to give our patients healthier tomorrows.

Healthcare workers at Englewood Community Hospital in Florida celebrated the hospital’s 19th consecutive “A” grade from The Leapfrog Group in November 2021.

About HCA Healthcare

HCA Healthcare, one of the nation's leading providers of healthcare services, is comprised of 183 hospitals and more than 2,300 sites of care, in 20 states and the United Kingdom. Our more than 283,000 colleagues are connected by a single purpose — to give patients healthier tomorrows.

As an enterprise, we recognize the significant responsibility we have as a leading healthcare provider within each of the communities we serve, as well as the opportunity we have to improve the lives of the patients for whom we are entrusted to care. Through the compassion, knowledge and skill of our caregivers, and our ability to leverage our scale and innovative capabilities, HCA Healthcare is in a unique position to play a leading role in the transformation of care.

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