SALEM — When it comes to hospital stays in the COVID-19 era, there can be no greater demonstration of concern for patients than the assurance that everything is being done to keep them out of harm’s way.
Salem Hospital has just received an “A” grade for doing exactly that.
Salem, a member of the Mass. General Brigham, received its grade for the second time from the Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization committed to health care quality and safety. The spring 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade national distinction program recognized Salem’s achievements protecting patients from harm and providing safer health care.
The facility, which was known as North Shore Medical Center at the time, also earned an “A” grade from the Leapfrog Group in last fall’s report.
Our team is incredibly dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of our patients, and every day they bring their best to our community,” said David J. Roberts, M.D., president of the hospital. “Even in this demanding year of COVID-19, they have made sure that our patients receive the highest quality care. It is deeply gratifying when their hard work and efforts are recognized at a national level.”
Leapfrog did not change the reporting requirements this year due to COVID, which means the organization felt the hospital adhered to high standards for patient safety that are set forth by CMS, said spokeswoman Laura Fleming.
Patient safety protocols developed for the past year came from a variety of best-practice sources, including the Centers for Disease Control, infectious disease experts, and experts within Mass General Brigham and Salem Hospital, Fleming said.
Developed under the guidance of a national expert panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses up to 27 measures of publicly-available hospital safety data to twice a year assign grades to more than 2,600 acute-care hospitals in the United States. The Leapfrog Group’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public. Leapfrog assigns grades from “A” through “F” to all general hospitals across the country and is updated every six months. Criteria is based on a hospital’s performance in preventing medical errors, injuries, accidents, infections and other risks to patients in their care.
To see Salem Hospital’s full grade details, visit hospitalsafetygrade.org.
Salem Hospital is a member of Mass. General Brigham (formerly Partners HealthCare), an academic healthcare system founded by Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. It has served the North Shore community for more than 100 years, and provides medical, surgical and psychiatric care through an array of inpatient, outpatient and virtual settings, including Salem Hospital, the Epstein Center for Behavioral Health, North Shore Physicians Group, and a medical staff of nearly 700 physicians practicing in a wide range of specialties.
