UP Health System Hospitals Receive an ‘A’ for Patient Safety

Marquette, MI, November 8, 2018 – UP Health System – Portage and UP Health System – Marquette have been awarded an ‘A’ from The Leapfrog Group’s Fall 2018 Hospital Safety Grade. The designation recognizes UP Health System’s efforts in protecting patients from harm and meeting the highest safety standards in the United States. The Leapfrog Group is a national organization committed to improving health care quality and safety for consumers and purchasers. The Safety Grade assigns an A, B, C, D or F grade to hospitals across the country based on their performance in preventing medical errors, infections and other harms among patients in their care.

“We are very pleased with this high mark for our hospitals,” said Brian Sinotte, Market President for UP Health System. “This places us among the top tier of hospitals across the country when it comes to patient safety.”

“Leapfrog’s Hospital Safety Grades recognize hospitals like Portage and Marquette that focus on advancing patient safety. This ranking provides an important resource for patients, and a benchmark for hospitals, to determine how care at one hospital compares to others in a region,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “Hospitals that earn an A Hospital Safety Grade deserve to be recognized for their efforts in preventing medical harm and errors.”

Developed under the guidance of a National Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.

“We have implemented a number of quality-based initiatives,” said Randy Neiswonger, CEO of UPHS – Portage. “Through these best practices, we are able to reduce errors, injuries, accidents, and infections. This creates a much safer environment for our patients and employees.”

UPHS Portage and Marquette were two of 855 across the United States awarded an A in the Fall 2018 update of grades.

“I would like to thank all of our employees and medical staff for their hard work and dedication,” Sinotte continued. “We’ve made huge strides in quality and patient safety in recent years, and it’s because of their tireless commitment to our patients and communities across the Upper Peninsula.”

UPHS – Bell does not receive a Leapfrog letter grade due to its designation as a critical access hospital.

To see full grade details, and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetygrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter and Facebook.