Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt is one of only nine children’s hospitals in the nation, and the only children’s hospital in Tennessee, to be named a Leapfrog Top Hospital for 2016. Among all hospital categories rated — general, children’s, rural and teaching — only 6 percent of eligible hospitals from across the U.S. earned the Top Hospital award from The Leapfrog Group this year.
The selection of Leapfrog’s Top Hospitals is based on the results of the 2016 Leapfrog Hospital Survey, completed by more than 1,800 hospitals annually. Performance measures across many areas of hospital care that impact quality, safety and value are considered in establishing the qualifications for the award, including infection rates, maternity care and a hospital’s ability to prevent medication errors. The rigorous standards are defined in each year’s Top Hospital Methodology.
Founded in 2000, The Leapfrog Group is a coalition of public and private purchasers of employee health coverage that works to encourage health care safety, quality and affordability. Leapfrog members provide health benefits to more than 37 million Americans who live among all 50 states.
“Being named a Leapfrog Top Children’s Hospital is further validation that all physicians and staff at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt work hard every day to ensure we provide safe and quality care to infants, children and young adults,” said Luke Gregory, Chief Executive Officer for Children’s Hospital. “I want to congratulate and thank everyone who helped achieve this well-deserved recognition.”
Leapfrog has published these unranked lists since 2006. This is the fourth time Children’s Hospital has made the Top Children’s Hospitals list. The breakdown for this year’s list of 115 Top Hospitals is: 9 Top Children’s Hospitals; 56 Top General Hospitals; 21 Top Rural Hospitals; and 29 Top Teaching Hospitals.
Children’s hospitals, as well as general, rural and teaching hospitals, selected as a 2016 Leapfrog Top Hospital:
- Meet standards for computer physician order entry systems that help prevent medication errors;
- Meet intensive care unit staffing standards that ensure ICU patients are cared for by specially trained doctors;
- Must fully meet Leapfrog’s stand on at least 50 percent of the applicable performance measures;
- Must rank in the top of their peer group based on the Value Score;
- Must follow a five-element policy if a Never Event, or serious reportable events, occurs;
- Have earned the top grade of “A” for safety;
- Must satisfy the Top Hospital Selection Committee that in general the hospital embodies the highest standards of excellence worth of the Leapfrog Top Hospital designation.
This recognition for Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt is yet another major performance-based distinction the facility has earned this year. In June, Children’s Hospital achieved 10 out of 10 nationally ranked pediatric specialties in U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best Children’s Hospitals survey.
