Barton gets an "A" for patient safety

Barton Memorial Hospital in South Lake Tahoe was one of 798 hospitals in the United States to earn an "A", making it one of the safest hospitals in the country.

A national patient safety watchdog, the Leapfrog Group, announced the New Hospital Safety Scores which come in the form of grades A, B, C, D and F.

“It is an honor for Barton to be recognized as one of the safest hospitals in the nation,” said Dr. Clint Purvance, Barton’s Chief Executive Officer. “Our physicians and medical staff work incredibly hard to provide a safe and compassionate experience for our patients and getting an A in patient safety is reflection of our team’s commitment to our patients.”

The Leapfrog Group provides the most complete picture of patient safety in the U.S. health care system. Developed under the guidance of Leapfrog’s Blue Ribbon Expert Panel, the Hospital Safety Score uses 30 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign A, B, C, D and F grades to more than 2,500 U.S. hospitals twice a year. It is calculated by top patient safety experts, peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public.

For the first time, the Hospital Safety Score includes five measures of patient-reported experience with the hospital as well as two of the most common infections, Clostridium difficile and MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus).

To see Barton Memorial Hospital’s full score, and to access consumer-friendly tips for patients and loved ones visiting the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetyscore.org. Consumers can also download the free Hospital Safety Score mobile app for Apple and Android devices.