by Doug Campbell
Highlighting its longstanding commitment to patient safety and health care quality, Vanderbilt University Hospital (VUH) has been named a Top Teaching Hospital by the Leapfrog Group.
Leapfrog is a large coalition of public and private purchasers of employee health coverage that works to encourage health care safety, quality and affordability.
Announced today (Dec. 7) the Top Hospital award is widely acknowledged as one of the most competitive awards American hospitals can receive. The quality of patient care across many areas of hospital performance is considered, including infection rates, surgery, maternity care, the hospital’s capacity to prevent medication and other errors and other qualities.
“We recently celebrated an ’A‘ safety score from the Leapfrog Group; however, the Top Teaching Hospital award is a step above. This is an acknowledgment of the very high level of service patients receive across a range of areas from our outstanding teams. I want to express my gratitude to everyone contributing to this honor. I hope everyone takes a moment to reflect on their contribution to this accomplishment,” said C. Wright Pinson, MBA, MD, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Health System Officer for Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
More than 2,200 hospitals were considered for the award. A total of 149 nationwide were selected as Top Hospitals.
“The Leapfrog recognition is a reflection that our culture of safety is thriving, and it’s driving quality outcomes for our patients and families. I am proud of our teams for all of the hard work this award reflects,” said Jenny Slayton, DNP RN, Senior Vice President for Quality, Safety and Risk Prevention at VUMC.
To qualify for the Top Hospitals distinction, hospitals must rank highly among peers on the Leapfrog Hospital Survey, which assesses hospital performance on the highest standards for quality and patient safety and assigns a letter grade. VUH recently received an “A” safety grade on Leapfrog’s fall survey.
“Providing excellent patient-centered care requires a relentless drive by everyone, and I mean everyone, on the health care team,” said Shon Dwyer, MBA, RN, President of VUH. “Earning this distinction as a Leapfrog Top Teaching Hospital on the heels of recently earning a Leapfrog Safety Grade of A reflects the team’s consistency in developing and following safety processes with enormous attention to detail. I encourage everyone to take a moment to reflect on these positive validations of our care and to keep up the great work.”
To see the full list of institutions honored as 2021 Top Hospitals, visit www.leapfroggroup.org/tophospitals.
The Leapfrog Hospital Survey collects and reports hospital performance, helping purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers useful information to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog’s other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents and infections.
“We are pleased to recognize Vanderbilt University Hospital as a Top Hospital this year,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “Even with the continued strain of the COVID-19 pandemic, your institution has demonstrated an extraordinary dedication to excellent health care in your community. We congratulate the leadership, staff and clinicians who put their patients first.”
