There are 12 hospitals that have earned straight "A" grades from The Leapfrog Group for 26 rankings. Despite being located around the country, at least six hospitals have a few things in common.
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One element that played a significant part in keeping "A" streaks: shared vision and responsibility.
At Columbus, Miss.-based Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle, leaders "do a great job of communicating goals, accomplishments and opportunities with all team members. We take every opportunity to celebrate our successes with frontline staff," Rob Coleman, CEO and administrator, told Becker's.
Winfield, Ill.-based Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital's patient-first mission emphasizes the consistent use of safety tools, psychological safety among team members and a strong collaboration between medical and hospital staff, hospital President Ken Hedley told Becker's.
At Kaiser Permanente Orange County-Anaheim (Calif.), Endeavor Health Elmhurst (Ill.) Hospital and French Hospital Medical Center in San Luis Obispo, Calif., every staff member completes rigorous safety training from day one.
"Every team member is responsible and accountable for maintaining safety and quality — it's not just the responsibility of physicians and nurses," Kimberley Darey, MD, president of Endeavor Health Elmhurst, told Becker's. "Housekeeping, food service, pharmacy and every department play a role in ensuring patients have a safe journey through our system. There are no shortcuts when it comes to patient safety — it's worth every investment."
A shared vision and training contribute to the culture of safety that helps these systems thrive.
"We ensure that every employee feels empowered to speak up when something doesn't seem right," Sue Andersen, president and CEO of French Hospital, told Becker's. "There's no hierarchy when it comes to patient safety; whether you're a physician, nurse, environmental services worker, or food service employee, everyone plays a role in ensuring positive patient outcomes."
Another common thread among these hospitals is their willingness to share and learn from other systems.
"The mindset across the industry should be that safety isn't something we compete on — it's something we aggressively share with one another for the betterment of patient care everywhere," Stephen Weber, MD, chief medical officer and executive vice president for clinical effectiveness at UChicago Medicine, told Becker's. "Hospitals can put up billboards about rankings, but ultimately, there's no value in being the safest hospital if others around us aren't equally safe. It's crucial for quality and safety leaders across institutions to have open lines of communication. Sharing formal mechanisms and best practices is important, but being able to call each other informally and discuss challenges can be even more impactful."
Needle-moving initiatives
Each system homes in on safety in a different way.
1. Mr. Coleman said he is most proud of its maternal safety initiative and the results from its cesarean section reduction efforts. Golden Triangle's pharmacy team has also led a medication reconciliation program at admission and discharge that has helped reduce readmissions.
2. At Kaiser Permanente Orange County-Anaheim, Payman Roshan, senior vice president and area manager, said its 24/7 rapid response team has reduced critical events. Bedside nurses with concerns about a patient's unexpected changes can call the team to come in for 24-hour monitoring after the ICU patient is transferred to lower levels of care.
3. Endeavor Health Elmhurst Hospital hones in on consistent dialog and adding quality updates to every board meeting. The hospital reports to the board on key quality and safety metrics, such as hospital-acquired infections, patient falls, serious safety events, and patient experience and satisfaction scores. The board then provides feedback on areas it would like to focus on, and the process evolves. The initiative began in November.
"By keeping safety and quality at the forefront, our board members are more engaged and invested in ensuring our hospitals meet the highest standards," Dr. Darey said. "This is a major step forward, and I believe it sets us apart from other healthcare systems."
4. French Hospital emphasizes strong communication, training and reporting methods, but in the end, Ms. Andersen said it starts with hiring practices. The hospital focuses not just on finding the right people to hire — "our public ratings help us stand out in a competitive hiring market," she said — but with creating an environment where employees want to stay.
"It all ties together. When employees are happy, they foster a culture of teamwork and excellence," Ms. Andersen said. "That, in turn, leads to better patient care."
5. UChicago conducts monthly meetings with different leaders, providers and practitioners that review all root-cause analyses to look for greater trends and connections between safety events.
"This added layer of scrutiny ensures a higher level of safety beyond accreditation standards and what most organizations typically do," Dr. Weber said. "This approach helps us see patterns and address root causes from a broader perspective."
The meetings have been happening for years, and at every one, leaders came away with a new thread to explore, he said.