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Two NorthShore Hospitals Named to "Leapfrog Top Hospitals" 2011 List

Evanston and Glenbrook Hospitals meet criteria on national assessment of hospital quality and safety, among five hospitals in Illinois to receive award

12/6/2011 - NorthShore University HealthSystem (NorthShore) Evanston and Glenbrook Hospitals have earned The Leapfrog Group’s “Top Hospital” designation for 2011. Both hospitals were among 65 selected from a field of nearly 1,200 hospitals nationally; and only two of five hospitals in Illinois to receive this award. This prestigious designation, which is the most competitive national hospital quality award in the country, recognizes hospitals that deliver the highest quality care based on several criteria (listed below).

“This distinctive honor truly reflects the dedication and excellence of our physicians and staff to provide high quality care and exceptional patient experiences at all four of our hospitals,” said Ken Anderson, DO, Chief Medical Quality Officer at NorthShore. “The Leapfrog designation further validates our success in defining and deploying health care processes that are of the highest quality and greatest efficiency with a strong focus on patient safety. This is what NorthShore University HealthSystem strives to create each day for its patients and staff.”

The hospital selections were based on the results of the Leapfrog Group’s national survey that measures hospitals’ performance in crucial areas of patient safety and quality. Results for all honorees are available at www.leapfroggroup.org. The survey, launched in 2001, focuses on four critical areas of patient safety. NorthShore Evanston and Glenbrook Hospitals met the following standards for safe, high quality care:

 

  1. Leapfrog standards for implementing computer physician order entry systems to prevent medication errors;
  2. Intensive Care Unit physician staffing standards shown to reduce ICU mortality by 40%;
  3. Stringent performance and outcomes standards for at least 50% of the high-risk surgeries and procedures (such as heart bypass surgery) performed in that particular hospital;
  4. Scored in the top decile in the country for efficiency – scored by Leapfrog’s Hospital Recognition Program incorporating high quality and appropriate resource use.

The Leapfrog Group is a coalition of public and private purchasers of employee health coverage founded a decade ago to work for improvements in health care safety, quality and affordability.  The annual survey is the only voluntary effort of its kind. The announcement was made at Leapfrog’s 11th anniversary meeting in Washington, D.C.