"Despite the challenging times in healthcare, our entire team continues to make patient safety a priority," says Laurie Labarca, who serves as hospital president for Ascension Via Christi St. Teresa and Ascension Via Christi Rehabilitation Hospital. "It is rewarding to see everyone's efforts to protect patients from harm recognized on such a big stage."
The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, assigns an "A," "B," "C," "D," or "F" grade to general hospitals across the country based on more than 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospital prevention of medical errors and harms to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated in the fall and spring each year.
In March, Ascension Via Christi St. Teresa also was recognized by PRC, a leading national healthcare research firm, with an Excellence in Healthcare award. That award is based on patient surveys it conducts for Ascension and other healthcare providers nationwide.
"We focus on patient safety, outcomes and experience each and every day as that's in keeping with our Mission and why we are here," says Labarca. "I can't imagine a better time to have their efforts validated than in the middle of our Nurses Week and Hospital Week celebrations."
To see St. Teresa’s full grade details and access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit https://ascn.io/3FwdEV7.