As a stream of national organizations released reviews and grades for performance, quality and safety at hospitals across the country, Hartford HealthCare facilities earned top accolades.
Top marks were notched on the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade program, the Healthgrades specialty rankings, and the Newsweek awards for best maternity hospitals.
Leapfrog
The independent national watchdog organization Leapfrog Group issued “A” grades for safety to Backus Hospital, Charlotte Hungerford Hospital, Hartford Hospital and The Hospital of Central Connecticut. They were among only nine hospitals in the state to receive an “A” for the spring of 2022.
This national distinction serves as a guide for patients by recognizing hospital achievements in protecting patients from harm and error while they are in the hospital. Leapfrog assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on more than 30 national performance measures that examine errors, injuries, accidents and infections, as well as the systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm to patients.
Hartford Hospital’s inclusion on the A list is even more significant because it is a large tertiary care hospital treating a high number of complex cases each year.
“We are proud to again receive such high marks from Leapfrog for our efforts to address and ensure patient safety,” said Ajay Kumar, MD, executive vice president and chief clinical officer for Hartford HealthCare. “Every day and with every patient, our colleagues demonstrate their attention to safety and quality care, and live the system’s commitment to always creating safe spaces to provide care to those who need us.”
He underscored the impact of the work led by Stephanie Calcasola, vice president of quality and safety for Hartford HealthCare, as key to continued success on Leapfrog. Under her leadership, teams have made major strides in improving quality and safety system-wide.
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on the work done by hospitals to prevent medical errors and harm to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.
“An A Safety Grade is a tremendous achievement, of which this community should be extremely proud,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “I thank the leadership and workforce for its commitment to prioritizing patients and their safety, especially during these trying times.”
To see full grade details visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org.
Healthgrades
Healthgrades recently released its specialty state ranking and Excellence Awards, including naming the top 100 hospitals for cardiac care.
Among those hospitals listed was Hartford Hospital, the only facility in Connecticut to make the grade in the category.
Healthgrades based the ranking on demonstrated excellent clinical outcomes for heart bypass surgery, coronary interventional procedures, heart valve surgery and heart attack or heart failure treatment.
“For almost 25 years, our mission has been to provide consumers with clear and accessible information to make more informed healthcare decisions,” said Brad Bowman, MD, chief medical officer and head of data science with Healthgrades.
Newsweek Maternity Awards
Using a banner rating system that awards of four or five ribbons, Newsweek identified its “America’s Best Maternity Hospitals” for 2022. There were 350 hospitals listed, including Backus and Hartford hospitals from Hartford HealthCare, which each earned four ribbons.
The results are based patient satisfaction surveys; medical performance indicators including elective delivery, infection prevention and Cesarean births; and the results of a survey of more than 10,000 medical professionals who assessed their confidence of hospital maternity services.
Only four hospitals in Connecticut were recognized through this process.
The Society for Vascular Surgery
Hartford HealthCare was awarded a 3-star rating from The Society for Vascular Surgery’s Vascular Quality Initiative (SVS VQI) for its active participation in the Registry Participation Program. The vascular registry compiles demographic, clinical, procedural and outcomes data from vascular procedures, and is used to improve the quality and safety of vascular healthcare, along with health outcomes for patients.
The 3 star rating is the highest offered by the SVS VQI, and is based on work completed in 2021 which led to better patient care, including:
- The completeness of long-term, follow-up reporting.
- Initiation of quality improvement activities based on Vascular Quality Initiative data.
- Physician attendance at semi-annual meetings of a regional quality group.
- The number of vascular registries in which HHC participates.
The data provided to the VQI was collected from vascular procedures conducted at Hartford Hospital, The Hospital of Central Connecticut and Backus Hospital.