WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital receives ‘A’ rating from safety group

WellSpan has earned four “A” safety grades this spring – including one for Lebanon’s own WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital – from an independent national watchdog organization of employers and other purchasers.

Besides Good Samaritan, The Leapfrog Group issued top ratings for WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital, WellSpan Ephrata Community Hospital, and WellSpan York Hospital, according to a May 1 press release from Ryan Coyle, senior manager of media relations for WellSpan Health.

WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital and WellSpan Waynesboro Hospital each received a “B” grade from the organization this year.

“Our dedication to patient safety and high-quality care is what builds and maintains the trust our patients have in WellSpan,” Dr. Michael Seim, senior vice president and chief quality officer at WellSpan Health, said in a statement. “These principles are central to our mission of being a trusted partner for every patient. We achieved these remarkable ratings thanks to the hard work of our team members, who are committed to better serving our community.”

Penn State Health also received an “A” grade for Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hampden Medical Center and Lancaster Medical Center. Holy Spirit Medical Center and St. Joseph Medical Center each received a “B.”

The Leapfrog Group assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country twice a year based on more than 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm, the release explained. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospital prevention of medical errors and the resulting harm to patients.

The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public.