LMH Health earns Leapfrog Safety Grade “A”

LMH Health has earned an “A” for the fall 2022 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital rating focused exclusively on hospital safety. Its A, B, C, D or F letter grades are a quick way for consumers to choose the safest hospital to seek care. LMH Health previously earned “A” grades from Leapfrog since fall 2020.

“Members of our team in every part of our organization make our quality and safety processes and outcomes a top priority,” said LMH Health President & CEO Russ Johnson. “We’re grateful for our extraordinary staff and their continued and constant efforts toward patient safety.”

Developed under the guidance of a national expert panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses up to 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,700 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year. The methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.

“Receiving an ‘A’ from The Leapfrog Group has been possible due to the dedication to patient safety demonstrated by our employees, physicians and leaders,” said Traci Hoopingarner, senior vice president of clinical care and chief nursing officer at LMH Health. “Our teams strive to be patient first and have worked tirelessly to ensure the health and safety of our patients and community.”

This grade comes from a series of submissions in 10 different categories: Preventing and Responding to Patient Harm, Medication Safety, Healthcare Associated Infections, Maternity Care, Pediatric Care, Critical Care, Complex Adult Surgery, Care for Elective Outpatient Surgery Patients, Elective Outpatient Surgery – Adult and Elective Outpatient Surgery – Pediatric. Learn more about these ratings and how LMH Health performed specifically in each category by visiting The Leapfrog Group website here.

“As the national healthcare system continues to feel the strain of the pandemic, I thank the workforce and leadership of LMH Health for sustained commitment to patient safety, day in and day out,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “An ‘A’ Safety Grade is an outstanding achievement, and one that is not possible without a 24/7 effort by the entire health care workforce to protect patients from harm. This community should be proud.”

Only a small number of hospitals consistently achieve “A” grades. LMH Health is thrilled to celebrate its fifth consecutive “A” since spring 2020.

“We know this accomplishment is the direct result of an exceptional team working across our hospital and clinics,” said Dr. Michele Bennett, chair of LMH Health’s quality committee. “Their commitment to safety means that LMH Health provides healthcare that’s not only exceptional for a community hospital—it’s among the best anywhere.”

About The Leapfrog Group

The Leapfrog Group is a nonprofit watchdog organization that serves as a voice for health care consumers and purchasers, using their collective influence to foster positive change in U.S. health care. Leapfrog is the nation’s premier advocate of transparency in health care—collecting, analyzing and disseminating data to inform value-based purchasing and improved decision-making.

A partner for lifelong health

At LMH Health, formerly Lawrence Memorial Hospital, our purpose is to be a partner for lifelong health. We were founded 100 years ago on the principle that everyone in our community is entitled to high-quality healthcare. Our health system includes a 174-bed not-for-profit hospital with the latest diagnostic and surgical technology, the new LMH Health West Campus facility, and 28 primary and specialty care clinics. Supported by more than 1,800 associates and 380 providers, we are dedicated to the health and wellness of our communities and it shows in our physician expertise, innovative care and high standards of clinical excellence.

We are proud of our work. And we regularly earn national and regional honors for our high-quality service, including:

• The Joint Commission recognized LMH Health with Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Center, and with Certifications for Chest Pain and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). We’re also one of only two health systems in Kansas to receive Advanced Certification for Total Hip and Knee Replacement.
• LMH Health is consistently recognized for leading the way in technological integration, being named as one of Digital Health's Most Wired programs by the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives.
• LMH Health was named a Blue Cross/Blue Shield Distinction Center+ for maternity care in 2018 and again in 2020. We also earned the High 5 for Mom & Baby Premier recognition from the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund in 2020.
• The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association has recognized LMH Health with the Get With the Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Achievement Award since 2018 and named us to the Target: Stroke Honor Roll in 2020.
• Becker’s Hospital Review has named LMH Health to its 100 Great Community Hospitals list every year since 2013.