Leapfrog Names First Ever Top State of the Decade for Patient Safety

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Dec 07, 2021, 17:24 ET

WASHINGTON, Dec. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Leapfrog Group, a national watchdog organization of employers and other purchasers focused on health care safety and quality, today honored the state of Maine with the Leapfrog Top State of the Decade for Patient Safety Award for unparalleled achievements in patient safety.

The award recognizes the high percentage of Maine hospitals that consistently earn an "A" in Leapfrog's Hospital Safety Grade program. The program awards an "A," "B," "C," "D," or "F" to hospitals based on how well they prevent errors, accidents, injuries, and infections. Maine has been the top-ranked state in percentage of "A" hospital ls more times than any other state. The state has ranked first among states in nine of 20 Grade updates, and it has been ranked in the top five among states for an additional seven grade cycles.

"I am pleased and privileged to accept this award on behalf of the 1.3 million people from the state of Maine and the tens of thousands dedicated healthcare workers and administrators in our healthcare systems who have achieved excellence during some of the hardest times in our state's history," said Janet Mills, governor of Maine.

"No other state came close to Maine's achievement when we looked at the data," said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. "Receiving the highest percentage of 'A' graded hospitals many times over for a decade shows that patients are the priority in Maine. Thousands of lives would be saved every year if all states performed as well as Maine does."

The award was presented to the 75^th Governor of Maine, Janet Mills, at the 2021 Leapfrog Annual Meeting today.

About The Leapfrog Group
Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the quality and safety of American health care. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey and new Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need 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.

SOURCE The Leapfrog Group