Nine Banner Health entities earn top scores for hospital safety

PHOENIX, May 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- More and more often, the public is encouraged and empowered to research and make informed decisions about where to receive care. The Hospital Safety Score, a fully-transparent public service provided by The Leapfrog Group, has recognized nine Banner Health hospitals with top safety grades (A's and B's) for their ongoing efforts to keep patients same from preventable harm.

Two Arizona medical centers and a pair of hospitals in Colorado continue to hold an "A" grade. Joining the top group is Banner Churchill Community Hospital in Fallon, Nev. Banner Boswell and Banner Del E. Webb medical centers in Sun City and Sun City West, respectively, are among the "A" scores as well as North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley, Colo., and McKee Medical Center in Loveland, Colo. Four additional hospitals in Arizona received a "B" score.

The Spring 2015 Hospital Safety Score report was released by The Leapfrog Group, an independent organization which grades hospitals on how they protect patients from errors, injuries and infections.

"We are dedicated to providing the highest quality care in a safe, healthy and welcoming environment," said John Hensing, MD, Banner Health's executive vice president and chief medical officer. "Patient safety is a guiding principal for all of our physicians, staff and volunteers. We are proud to be recognized for our ongoing efforts."

According to Leapfrog, the Hospital Safety Score uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to produce a single "A," "B," "C," "D," or "F" score representing a hospital's overall capacity to keep patients safe from preventable harm. The Hospital Safety Score is fully transparent, with a full analysis of the data and methodology used in determining grades available online.

Banner Health hospitals, their location and their top Hospital Safety Scores:

• Banner Boswell Medical Center (Sun City, Ariz.): A
• Banner Churchill Community Hospital (Fallon, Nev.): A
• Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center (Sun City West, Ariz.): A
• Banner Desert Medical Center (Mesa, Ariz.): B
• Banner Estrella Medical Center (Phoenix): B
• Banner Thunderbird Medical Center (Glendale, Ariz.): B
• Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix, formerly known as Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center (Phoenix): B
• McKee Medical Center (Loveland, Colo.): A
• North Colorado Medical Center (Greeley, Colo.): A

About Banner Health

Headquartered in Arizona, Banner Health is one of the largest nonprofit health care systems in the country. The system owns and operates 28 acute-care hospitals, Banner Health Network, Banner – University Medicine, Banner Medical Group, long-term care centers, outpatient surgery centers and an array of other services, including family clinics, home care and hospice services, pharmacies and a nursing registry. Banner Health is in seven states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Wyoming. For more information, visit www.BannerHealth.com.

About The Leapfrog Group

The Hospital Safety Score (www.hospitalsafetyscore.org) is an initiative of The Leapfrog Group (www.leapfroggroup.org), 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.

Contact: Public Relations
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SOURCE Banner Health

Related Links

http://www.leapfroggroup.org