Heywood Hospital Receives 'A' for Patient Safety in Spring 2018 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade

GARDNER, Mass. - April 25, 2018 - PRLog -- The Leapfrog Group, a Washington D.C.-based organization aiming to improve healthcare quality and safety for consumers and purchasers, today released the new Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, naming Heywood as one of 750 hospitals to receive an "A", ranking us among the safest hospitals in the United States.


"We are thrilled to be among just 30% of hospitals nationwide to receive an "A" from The Leapfrog Group, which reaffirms Heywood's ongoing commitment to providing our communities with the highest quality care and patient service," stated Heywood Healthcare President & CEO Win Brown.

"This is the only national rating of how well hospitals protect patients from preventable harm and death, such as medical errors, infections, and injuries," said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. "Receiving an 'A' Safety Grade means a hospital is among the best in the country for preventing these terrible problems and putting their patients first, 24 hours a day."

Developed under the guidance of an Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to approximately 2,500 U.S. hospitals twice per year. It is peer reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public.

To see Heywood Hospital's full grade details, and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetygrade.org and follow the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade on Twitter and Facebook.

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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 collects and transparently reports hospital 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.

About Heywood Hospital
A member of the Heywood Healthcare system, Heywood Hospital is a 134-bed acute care hospital in Gardner, MA, providing a broad range of high quality medical, surgical, obstetrical, pediatric and behavioral health services on an inpatient and outpatient basis. The hospital's Centers of Excellence include the Watkins Center for Emergency and Acute Care; the LaChance Maternity Center; the Diabetes Center and the Heywood Heart and Vascular Center, an affiliate of the Heart and Vascular Center at UMass Memorial Health Care.

About Heywood Healthcare
Heywood Healthcare is an independent, community-owned healthcare system serving north central Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. It is comprised of Heywood Hospital, a non-profit, 134-bed acute-care hospital in Gardner, MA; Athol Hospital, a 25-bed not-for-profit, Critical Access Hospital in Athol, MA; the Quabbin Retreat, a behavioral health and substance misuse treatment facility, in Petersham, MA; and Heywood Medical Group with primary care physicians and specialists located throughout the region. The organization includes five satellite facilities in MA; Heywood Rehabilitation Center and Heywood Urgent Care in Gardner; West River Health Center in Orange; Winchendon Health Center and Murdock School-based Health Center in Winchendon; Heywood Charitable Foundation; and the North Quabbin Community Coalition.