UCI Health receives another 'A' for patient safety in the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade report

Orange County’s only academic health system has earned 17 consecutive biannual awards

Orange, Calif., – UCI Health received its 17th consecutive 'A' in the fall 2022 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade. This national distinction, which recognizes a health system’s commitment to patient safety and achievements in preventing harm, has been awarded to UCI Health each spring and fall since 2014.

“This achievement is made possible by our dedicated team of physicians, nurses and co-workers who continue to ensure our patients receive safe and dependable care,” said UCI Health CEO Chad T. Lefteris. “Continuing to receive the highest safety grade is a testament for the community that UCI Health is committed to exceeding safety practices and procedures.”

The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization with a 10-year history of assigning an 'A,' 'B,' 'C,' 'D' or 'F' grades to general hospitals throughout the United States, based on a hospital’s ability to prevent medical errors and harm to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. The biannual Hospital Safety Grade results are based on more than 30 national performance measures and are updated each fall and spring.

“I applaud the hospital leadership and workforce for their strong commitment to safety and transparency,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “An ‘A’ Safety Grade is a sign that hospitals are continuously evaluating their performance so that they can best protect patients. Your hospital team should be extremely proud of their dedication and achievement.”

UCI Health remains committed to ensuring the safety of patients, which is also reflected in these recent milestones:

• The American College of Surgeons’ National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP®) once again recognized UCI Medical Center as one of 78 participating hospitals to achieve meritorious outcomes for surgical safety and patient care.
• UCI Medical Center was recognized as one of America’s best hospitals by U.S. News & World Report for the 22nd consecutive year. The annual rankings recognize hospitals that excel in treating the most challenging patients and conditions.
• The UCI Health Heart Failure Service recently received The Joint Commission’s 2022 Gold Seal of Approval for its commitment to providing safe and quality patient care.
• Recognition as a five-star hospital and top performer in the 2021 Bernard A. Birnbaum, MD, Quality Leadership Annual Ranking by Vizient Inc. UCI Medical Center was ranked No. 9 out of 101 Vizient members in the cohort of “Comprehensive Academic Medical Centers” for demonstrating excellence in delivering high-quality patient care based on the organization's quality and accountability ranking.
• Recognition as one of only four Vizient Top Performers in the most recent quality and accountability ranking of outpatient care.

In a 2019 analysis, the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality found 45,000 fewer deaths than a 2016 analysis, based on the prevalence of safety problems in hospitals graded by The Leapfrog Group.

The safety scores consider such factors as:

• How often a hospital gives patients recommended treatment for a given medical condition or procedure.
• The environment in which patients receive care (e.g., whether a hospital uses a computerized physician order entry system to prevent medication errors).
• What happens to a patient while receiving care (e.g., whether care teams left foreign objects in patients while undergoing surgery).

About the Leapfrog Group: Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the quality and safety of American health care. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey and new Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog's other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections.

UCI Health is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine, and the only academic health system in Orange County. Patients can access UCI Health at primary and specialty care offices across Orange County and at its main campus, UCI Medical Center in Orange, Calif. The 459-bed, acute care hospital, listed among America’s Best Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report for 22 consecutive years, provides tertiary and quaternary care, ambulatory and specialty medical clinics, behavioral health and rehabilitation services. UCI Medical Center is home to Orange County’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center and regional burn center. UCI Health serves a region of nearly 4 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.