MemorialCare Health System Hospitals Honored as Among Safest in U.S.

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May 10, 2013, 12:22 ET

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., May 10, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- MemorialCare Health System hospitals, including Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center and Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in Laguna Hills and San Clemente, were honored with an "A" Hospital Safety Score^SM by The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and large purchasers of health benefits. All MemorialCare hospitals upheld the excellent rankings they received during Leapfrog evaluations conducted in 2012.

The Leapfrog Group's nine-member Blue Ribbon Expert Panel used 26 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to produce a Hospital Safety Score representing a hospital's overall capacity to keep patients safe from infections, injuries, and medical and medication errors. Hospitals across the U.S. were assigned a score of A, B, C, D or F based on these measures.

Acknowledged national leader in patient safety and quality, MemorialCare is recognized as an innovator in health care delivery. "Our more than 13,000 physicians, nurses, clinical and support staff are dedicated to implementing evidence-based, best practice medicine at all our medical centers to ensure the communities we serve receive comprehensive, high quality care," says Barry Arbuckle, Ph.D., MemorialCare Health System president & CEO. "We are honored to be included among the nation's safest hospitals."

This recognition is among an impressive number of recent global, national and statewide honors awarded to MemorialCare Health System. MemorialCare was recently honored as one of only 32 businesses worldwide with the Gallup Great Workplace Award and is one of only 30 businesses to ever win this award for three consecutive years. Engaged employees, according to Gallup, are more productive, safer, more customer-centric and more successful.

MemorialCare Health System has gained widespread recognition for its unique approach to health care. MemorialCare is acknowledged as among some of California's best hospitals and named "high performing" by U.S. News & World Report. MemorialCare Medical Group and Greater Newport Physicians were honored by California Association for Physician Groups with the Elite Status rating of four stars, the highest rating possible for medical groups in California. The program measures how physician organizations improve patient quality, safety, affordability, access, communications, continuity of care, health information technology, public accountability, cultural sensitivities and responsiveness.

About MemorialCare Health System
MemorialCare Health System is a not-for profit, integrated delivery system that includes six top hospitals – Long Beach Memorial, Miller Children's Hospital Long Beach, Community Hospital Long Beach, Orange Coast Memorial in Fountain Valley, and Saddleback Memorial in Laguna Hills and San Clemente; a medical group – MemorialCare Medical Group; an Independent Practice Association (IPA) – Greater Newport Physicians; MemorialCare HealthExpress retail clinics; ambulatory surgery centers and numerous outpatient health centers throughout the Southland. For more information, go to memorialcare.org.

About The Leapfrog Group
The Leapfrog Group (www.leapfroggroup.org) is a national nonprofit organization using the collective leverage of large purchasers of health care to initiate breakthrough improvements in the safety, quality and affordability of health care for Americans. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey allows purchasers to structure their contracts and purchasing to reward the highest performing hospitals. The Leapfrog Group was founded in November 2000 with support from the Business Roundtable and national funders, and is now independently operated with support from its purchaser and other members.

SOURCE MemorialCare Health System