by Terry Rogers
Bayhealth’s Sussex County campus
Leapfrog, an independent watchdog group, recently announced that they had awarded Bayhealth Sussex Campus with an “A” Safety Rating. It is the only hospital in Delaware to receive that high of a rating from the organization.
“Hospitals do not request this review,” Elizabeth Harmon, Senior Communications Specialist with Leapfrog, said. “Leapfrog grades nearly 3,000 general acute care hospitals across the country. We are a national non-profit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the safety and quality of American healthcare. We work with a panel of experts in conjunction with Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality to assure validity and reliability.”
According to the company website, Bayhealth ranked highly in preventing MRSA, urinary tract and sepsis after surgery infections. They also had fewer errors in surgery, safety problems after certain surgeries and had excellent systems in place to help prevent errors. In fact, the hospital rated 100 out of 100 in the area of practices to prevent errors. In addition, the hospital ranked very highly in the area of staffing. Leapfrog found that they had effective leadership, enough qualified nurses, specially trained ICU doctors, good communication from both doctors and nurses as well as good responses from hospital staff.
By comparison, Beebe Hospital in Lewes was given a rating of “B” while both the Bayhealth Kent Campus and TidalHealth Nanticoke ranked at a “C.” Christiana Care Health System also ranked at a “C.”
“We are incredibly proud of our Bayhealth caregivers and staff for this achievement. This national recognition for safe, quality care belongs to them,” Terry Murphy, FACHE, CEO of Bayhealth, said. “It’s a demonstration of their commitment, courage and compassion for our community.
Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospital prevention of medical errors and harms to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed and fully transparent to the public at no cost. Grades are updated in the fall and the spring.
“As our health care system continues to feel the strain of the pandemic, I thank the workforce and leadership of Bayhealth Hospital, Sussex Campus for sustained commitment to patient safety, day in and day out,” Leah Binder, president and CEO of Leapfrog, said. “An “A” Safety Grade is an outstanding achievement and one that is not possible without a 24/7 effort by the entire healthcare workforce to protect patients from harm. This community should be proud.”
The full safety review can be found at https://www.hospitalsafetygrade.org/h/bayhealth-hospital-sussex-campus?findBy=city&city=Milford&state_prov=DE&rPos=2&rSort=distance.
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