OGDENSBURG -- Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center was honored with an “A” grade in the Fall 2013 update to the Hospital Safety Score, which rates how well hospitals protect patients from accidents, errors, injuries and infections.

The score is compiled under the guidance of the nation’s leading experts on patient safety and is administered by The Leapfrog Group (Leapfrog), an independent industry watchdog.

“We are pleased to be recognized for the success of our team’s focus on patient safety,” said Gary Hart, MD, chief medical officer at CHMC. “Our doctors, nurses, and support staff focus on our patients’ safety by following proven care pathways and through participation in measurement and continuous improvement activities related to quality and safety,” Dr. Hart added.

The first and only hospital safety rating to be analyzed in the peer-reviewed Journal of Patient Safety, the score is designed to give the public information they can use to protect themselves and their families.

Calculated 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.

More than 2,500 general U.S. hospitals were assigned scores this Fall. A full analysis of the data and methodology used is available on the Hospital Safety Score website.

“As patients begin to take a more active role in selecting where to receive health care, it has never been more important to focus on hospital safety and transparency. The ‘A’ hospitals, including Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center, are helping us to raise the standards of health care nationwide,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of Leapfrog. “We offer our congratulations and hope the hospital will continue to strive for an ever-increasing level of excellence in patient safety,” Binder stated.

To see Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center’s scores as they compare nationally and locally, and to find safety tips for patients and their loved ones, visit the Hospital Safety Score website at www.hospitalsafetyscore.org.

Local hospitals’ scores are also available on the free mobile app, available at www.hospitalsafetyscore.org.

Pictured displaying the “A” rating signs are Claxton-Hepburn Mental Health employees Sheila Youngs, Andrea Chenier, Stephanie Macaulay, Dr. Javier Vargas, MD, Dr. Pakkam Rajasekaran, MD, Michael Perry and Nellie Steenkamer.