UC San Diego Health System Awarded “A”s for Patient Safety

Article Content

UC San Diego Health System was honored with two separate “A” Hospital Safety Scores by The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits.  The A scores were awarded in the latest update to the Hospital Safety Score^SM, the A, B, C, D or F scores assigned to US hospitals based on preventable medical errors, injuries accidents, and infections.

“These A scores – awarded to two hospital campuses – reflect our deep commitment to patient safety, placing us among the most safe hospitals in the United States,” said Paul Viviano, CEO, UC San Diego Health System. “Our A scores were achieved through diligent systemwide initiatives across inpatient services as well as throughout the organization to optimize safety, every day, with each patient interaction. I thank our staff and faculty for their thoughtful work and lifesaving care to make this happen.”

The Hospital Safety Score was compiled under the guidance of the nation’s leading experts on patient safety and is designed to give the public information they can use to protect themselves and their families.

“UC San Diego Health System’s Quality and Patient Safety program has continuously pursued the goals of achieving outstanding clinical outcomes and preventing patient harm through teamwork and a thoughtful, evidenced-based approach to care,” said Angela Scioscia, MD, CMO, UC San Diego Health System.

“These scores capture the enterprise-wide focus on improving patient safety, which includes continued improvements in resuscitation practices, health care associated infection prevention, and medication safety. Significant investments have been made in information technology to help clinicians provide safe and reliable care to our patients,” said Andrea Snyder, RN, quality officer, UC San Diego Health System.

To see UC San Diego Health System’s scores as they compare nationally and locally, visit the Hospital Safety Score website at www.hospitalsafetyscore.org, which also provides information on how the public can protect themselves and loved ones during a hospital stay. People can also check their local hospital’s score on the free mobile app, available at www.hospitalsafetyscore.org.

Calculated under the guidance of The Leapfrog Group’s nine-member Blue Ribbon Expert Panel, the Hospital Safety Score uses 26 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to produce a single score representing a hospital’s overall capacity to keep patients safe from infections, injuries, and medical and medication errors. The panel includes: John Birkmeyer (University of Michigan), Ashish Jha (Harvard University), Lucian Leape (Harvard University), Arnold Millstein (Stanford University), Peter Pronovost (Johns Hopkins University), Patrick Romano (University of California, Davis), Sara Singer (Harvard University), Tim Vogus (Vanderbilt University), and Robert Wachter (University of California, San Francisco).