NorthShore University HealthSystem Hospitals Receive Straight A’s in Newly Released Leapfrog Quality and Safety Grades  

11/8/2018 – All four NorthShore University HealthSystem (NorthShore) hospitals received grades of A in new ratings from a national organization that focuses on quality and safety in American health care. The Leapfrog Group released its updated Hospital Safety Grades on Thursday and for the third consecutive time, NorthShore’s grades improved, with the system now receiving straight A’s. 

“We are happy to be recognized for our ongoing quality and patient safety efforts, and will continue to focus on strategies to improve clinical and experience outcomes for our patients,” said Chief Quality and Transformation Officer Lakshmi Halasyamani, MD. “We are always striving to provide the highest quality care through an integrated, team-based approach, one that uses clinical analytics to support evidence-based medicine and important safety protocols.” 

Leapfrog assigns an A, B, C, D or F grade to hospitals nationwide on a semiannual basis, based on their performance in preventing medical errors, infections and other harms among patients in their care. Highland Park and Skokie hospitals maintained the A grades they earned in spring 2018, while Evanston and Glenbrook hospitals improved from the B’s they received. 

“These safety grades reflect the incredible work that is being done through our multi-year journey to establish NorthShore as a top performer nationally in the area of quality and patient safety,” said President and CEO J.P. Gallagher. “We’re making significant investments to elevate our quality, expand our reach and deliver exceptional experiences to our patients.” 

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public. 

“Leapfrog’s Hospital Safety Grades recognize hospitals like NorthShore’s that focus on advancing patient safety. This ranking provides an important resource for patients, and a benchmark for hospitals,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “Hospitals that earn an A Hospital Safety Grade deserve to be recognized for their efforts in preventing medical harm and errors.”