Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital Earns 'A' in Patient Safety

Katy, TX News (November 2, 2015) – An announcement released nationally today by the independent hospital watchdog The Leapfrog Group, shows that all nine of the acute-care hospitals within the Memorial Hermann Health System earned an A in this elite national ratings program, recognizing its strong commitment to patient safety.

The Hospital Safety Score is the gold standard rating for patient safety, compiled under the guidance of the nation’s leading patient safety experts and administered by The Leapfrog Group, a national, independent nonprofit. The first and only hospital safety rating to be peer-reviewed in the Journal of Patient Safety, the Hospital Safety Score is free to the public and designed to give consumers information they can use to protect themselves and their families when facing a hospital stay.

“This recognition is a great acknowledgement of the commitment to patient safety and quality demonstrated daily at all Memorial Hermann hospitals by our clinical staff and employees” said Dan Wolterman, President and CEO of Memorial Hermann. “Our commitment to being a High Reliability Organization is the right thing to do for our patients who are entrusted into our care. This award affirms and validates the trust those families placed in us to care for their loved ones.”

Developed under the guidance of Leapfrog’s Blue Ribbon Expert Panel, 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 A grade earned by all of our hospitals recognizes our dedicated effort as a System to cultivating a culture of zero harm when it comes to patient safety and quality,” said Dr. M. Michael Shabot, System Chief Clinical Officer for Memorial Hermann. “It also affirms Memorial Hermann as a leader among the nation’s leaders in not only implementing innovative patient safety and quality programs, but executing them on a daily basis. That says to our patients that all Memorial Hermann hospitals are safe havens where families can be assured that we are working daily to eliminate all potential sources of harm from all our facilities, including hospital acquired infections, medication errors and other adverse events.”

More than 2,500 U.S. general hospitals were assigned scores in October 2015, with 773 hospitals receiving an A grade. The Hospital Safety Score is fully transparent, offering a full analysis of the data and methodology used in determining grades on the website.

The Memorial Hermann hospitals that earned an A Grade are:

“Memorial Hermann’s A grade is a powerful reminder of its commitment to putting patient safety above all else, and we are pleased to recognize the persistent efforts of your clinicians and staff to protect your patients,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, which administers the Hospital Safety Score. “Our families, neighbors, colleagues and friends deserve a hospital that will pull out all the stops to keep them safe, and we urge Memorial Hermann and all other A hospitals to preserve and renew your commitment to safety year after year.”

Patients can also review their hospital’s past safety performance alongside its current grade on the Hospital Safety Score site, allowing them to determine which local hospitals have the best track record in patient safety and which have demonstrated consistent improvement.

To see Memorial Hermann’s full score, and to access consumer-friendly tips for patients and loved ones visiting the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetyscore.org or follow The Hospital Safety Score on Twitter or Facebook.