Twin Cities Community Hospital Earns Fourth Consecutive “A” for Hospital Safety

TEMPLETON, Calif. - Dec. 3, 2013 - PRLog -- New research estimates up to 440,000 Americans are dying annually from preventable hospital errors. This puts medical errors as the third leading cause of death in the United States, underscoring the need for patients to protect themselves and their families from harm, and for hospitals to make patient safety a priority.

This fall, Twin Cities Community Hospital (http://www.twincitieshospital.com/) was awarded its fourth consecutive “A” Hospital Safety Score (http://www.hospitalsafetyscore.org/)^SM based on an A – F scale on preventable medical errors, injuries accidents, and infections.

Awarded byThe Leapfrog Group (Leapfrog), an independent national nonprofit advocacy group for hospital transparency founded by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits, the Hospital Safety Score provides biannual updates in April and October of each year and is calculated under the guidance of the Leapfrog Blue Ribbon Expert Panel, using the only peer-reviewed hospital grading system in the United States. The recent October 2013 release of scores marks the program’s fourth report to-date, and Twin Cities Community Hospital’s fourth “A.”

Twin Cities Community Hospital is one of just 813 hospitals in the nation (32%) to receive an “A” in the Hospital Safety Score out of the 2,539 general hospitals that participated in the Leapfrog Hospital Survey.

Twin Cities Community Hospital CEO Mark Lisa said, “Receiving a fourth ‘A’ score in a row really emphasizes the hard work, dedication, and high standard for health and safety that the Twin Cities staff offers the North County community. We are proud to continue to raise the bar for award-winning medical services in the state and country.”

“Hospitals like Twin Cities that earn an ‘A’ have demonstrated their commitment to their patients and their community by exhibiting excellence in our national database of patient safety measures,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “I congratulate Twin Cities Community Hospital for continuing to put a priority on the safety of its patients.”

To see Twin Cities Community Hospital’s scores as they compare nationally and locally, visit the Hospital Safety Score website at www.hospitalsafetyscore.org, which also provides information on how the public can protect themselves and loved ones during a hospital stay.

For information about Twin Cities Community Hospital, please visit www.twincitieshospital.com or call Press Agency AR & Co. PR and Marketing at (805) 239-4443 or email pr@arandcompany.com.

About The Leapfrog Group

The Leapfrog Group (www.leapfroggroup.org) is a national nonprofit organization using the collective leverage of large purchasers of health care to initiate breakthrough improvements in the safety, quality, and affordability of health care for Americans. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey allows purchasers to structure their contracts and purchasing to reward the highest performing hospitals. The Leapfrog Group was founded in November 2000 with support from the Business Roundtable and national funders, and is now independently operated with support from its purchaser and other members.