Riverside earns “A” for patient safety performance

Newport News, VA.– November 10, 2021 – Riverside Health System is proud to announce that each of its four acute care facilities have been nationally recognized for earning top safety marks. Riverside Regional Medical Center (RRMC), Riverside Walter Reed Hospital (RWRH), Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital (RSMH) and Riverside Doctors’ Hospital Williamsburg (RDHW) have each earned an “A” for patient safety performance in the Fall 2021 Hospital Safety Grade Scores by The Leapfrog Group, an independent, national watchdog organization committed to healthcare quality and safety. This national recognition puts the health system’s facilities in the top one-third of hospitals across the country.

The Leapfrog Safety Grade is becoming the gold standard measure of patient safety. Their Safety Grade assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” grade to all general hospitals across the country. The Grade uses up to 27 national performance measures from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Leapfrog Hospital Survey and information from other supplemental data resources. It is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospitals’ prevention of medical errors and other harms to patients in their care.

“We are extremely proud of the teamwork and collaboration we’ve seen throughout our system to earn this accolade. Patient safety remains a top priority, and these scores demonstrate that we’re achieving this across the board,” said Mike Dacey, President and COO of Riverside Health System. “This is a real testament to the work our teams have put in to ensure each patient is receiving the highest quality of care possible. Our goal is always to care for others as we would care for those we love — to enhance their well-being and improve their health. We’re proud to be able to do so across each of our communities.”

As part of its ongoing improvement, Riverside facilities focused on implementation of evidenced-based best practices published in medical literature and recommended by nationally recognized organizations, such as the National Quality Forum and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Additionally, departments implemented a daily safety team huddle that promotes transparency and learning throughout each facility and across the health system as a whole. Preventable complications have been significantly reduced, and patient experience surveys are showing improvement, which lead to each facility receiving its top safety grade including RWRH’s fifth consecutive “A” grade.

“An ‘A’ Safety Grade is a tremendous achievement, of which we are extremely proud of,” said Terry Sievers, MS, RN, CPHQ, CPHRM Senior Vice President, Quality Riverside Health System. “These composite patient safety scores reflect the significant improvement efforts we have made over the past few years to assure evidence-based best practices and processes are in place in order to continue to keep patients safe while achieving the best outcomes.”

For more information about Riverside Health System, visit riversideonline.com.

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